


This Is What I Am

by Script_Savage



Series: This is My Family [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bed-Wetting, Comfort Toys, Crying, Cuddling and Snuggling, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Vacation, Field Agent Fitz, FitzSkimmons - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Little Fitz, Little Jemma, Little Skye, Mommy May-Freeform, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, Papa Phil Coulson, Sharing a Bed, Wetting, bottles, security blankets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 00:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 41,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3431000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Script_Savage/pseuds/Script_Savage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil Coulson and his team could really use a vacation. Seriously.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celestialskiff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialskiff/gifts).



> Okay, so this is sort of a prompt from justwolf, hopefully I can do it justice. Here goes nothing!

Skye's knuckles were bleeding.

She circled the heavy bag with flawless footwork as she pummeled it with an almost animal ferocity.

_One. One-two. One-two-three._

Her fingers ached, throbbing in time with her pulse; the blood flowing from her knuckles made them sticky. She didn't mind the pain. It helped her focus.

Ever since the business with the Obelisk, Skye had been different, changed. She could manipulate the earth; cause earthquakes, tear the ground open, create sinkholes...but up here, she could cut loose--this high off the ground, she was too far away from land for her powers to have any effect on the world below. It was better. Safer.

The timer on her phone went off, and Skye finally let herself relax. Twenty minutes was a respectable  time, she thought. Not nearly as good as Momm-- _Agent May's_ \--but not too shabby.

She wiped the sweat from her face and neck with a soft towel, fast and clinical. She wasn't going to think about how much it reminded her of her blanket.

Skye gritted her teeth, clamping down on the Little part of her, the one she'd been consciously suppressing since the team had returned to the bus. She was different now. She couldn't afford to be weak, couldn't depend on other people for comfort. No matter how badly she needed it, or how badly they wanted to give it to her.

It was too much of a risk. She had to be in control at all times, she couldn't rely on other people to come to her rescue. Not if she wanted to get back to normal again...whatever that was.

"Skye?"  Jemma's voice. Small and quiet and timid.

Skye turned round. Jemma stood in to doorway to the lab. She looked small and afraid--of what, Skye couldn't begin to guess. She had her dummy in her hand and Jean-Baptiste the tiger tucked under one arm.

"Will you play with me? Mommy says it's nearly bedtime..." Her voice was little and full of hope. Her stance was awkward, wider than it should've been, and even though Skye couldn't tell for sure because of the baggy sweats Jemma was wearing; but she was fairly certain Jemma was wearing a diaper.

Skye's chest ached at the question. She  couldn't imagine anything else she'd rather do. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Jemma, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't let herself go to that place in her head. She'd already resisted for two weeks, and it wasn't easy. Skye wondered if this was what recovering alcoholics felt like.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Skye began gently. "I..."

Jemma sniffled rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve. She popped her dummy into her mouth and sucked on it furiously; Skye knew was trying to hold back tears and that made her feel terrible.

She hadn't meant to hurt Jemma, it was just... complicated.  She held out her hand, wiggling her fingers.

"Maybe later, cutie." Skye told her, and the words left a bad taste in her mouth. It was disconcerting to be on the opposite side of things when Jemma was so little, but she couldn't afford to start back at square one.

"Let's go find Mommy, okay?" Skye let herself slip, just once, because she knew how hard it was for Jemma to be little; even if she wouldn't let herself participate, she didn't want to make Jemma's little time stressful.

Jemma nodded and took Skye's hand. It was odd for Skye, being the big sister, especially while Jemma was little--and anyway Jemma was older than her. It felt awkward; it didn't quite fit, almost like she was trying on an older sibling's clothes.

Jemma squirmed next to her, her small hand gripped tightly to Skye's own, as though she was afraid Skye would suddenlh pull away and leave her all alone.

Skye understood the feeling. However, she had also been in Jemma's position enough times to know that she probably needed to pee.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Skye prodded gently.

Jemma shook her hand and squirmed again, her free hand drifting toward her crotch, like she wanted to hold herself.

Skye raised an eyebrow and paused for a moment when the passed the lavatory. "Are you sure you don't need to go potty, sweetheart?" She let herself sound skeptical.

Jemma shook her head again.

"Okay," Skye knew her tone made it clear that she wasn't  convinced, but if Jemma wanted to wet her diaper that was her business. It was good, Skye reflected, that she felt little and safe enough to do it.

And anyway, being potty-trained was hard. Slye knew. She'd forced herself to be big for the past two weeks; she'd forgotten how hard it was to constantly monitor herself, to be big.

Agent May was in the kitchen, fixing a bottle.

Jemma let go of Skye's hand and ran to hug May.

"There you are," She said, planting a gentle kiss on Jemma's forehead. She smoothed some hair out of Jemma's face eyeing her thoughtfully. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost. Are you ready for your bottle baby?"

Jemma didn't say anything, but she nodded.

Skye felt a surge of jealousy at Mo-- _Agent May's_ words; she bit the inside of her cheek and scolded herself. She was _baby_. Not Jemma.

 _No._ She told herself. _Not anymore._ The admission made her want to cry. But she didn't. She clenched her fist and pain flared in her knuckles. It hurt a lot, and she almost asked May to kiss it better. That only made it worse and she squeezed harder. The pain was distracting, and that was what she wanted.

Her eyes welled up without her permission and her chest got tight and and it was so hard to be big and Mommy was right there and she wanted to cry so bad...

Skye silently said a lot of bad words--grown-up words--that no doubt would've landed her in time out at the very least if she'd said them when she was little.

The stinging in her eyes went away, but a single tear slipped down her cheek. She rubbed at her eyes, clearing the moisture away before anyone could notice it.

She cleared her throat to get rid of the lump stuck there, but also to remind Agent May that she was here too; She didn't have to give Jemma all the attention...Anyway, all Little Jemma did was cry, sleep, and make messes; Skye didn't understand what was so special about that.

"Hello, Skye." May said and her voice was warm and gentle, almost like a hug.

"Hello," Skye answered, trying not to sound too grumpy.

"We were just about to watch a movie. Would you like to join us?"

"No thanks. I've got some things I need to do. Maybe tomorrow night."

"Alright then. Jemma, do you want a snack while we watch? I know Daddy lets you have midnight snacks, but you've been up very late these past few nights; little girls get cranky when they don't sleep enough."

Jemma's expression turned thoughtful. "Can we have popcorn, Mommy? It's been ages since I've had popcorn..."

Skye was pretty sure that Jemma'd had popcorn at least three nights this week, but she didn't say anything.

"I think that can be arranged. But I need you to go and brush your teeth first, okay?"

Jemma nodded. "Okay, Mommy."

May kissed Jemma's forehead. "Good girl. Do you need me to come with you to the bedroom?"

Jemma shook her head,  her expression so adorably determined that Skye had to suppress an 'aww'.

"I can go by myself, Mommy. I'm a brave girl." Jemma said.

Skye gritted her teeth. Hearing that phrase again was like being stabbed. She bit back the urge to snap at Jemma for saying it.

"I know you can. I'm proud of you, little one." May gave Jemma's bottom a gentle swat to send her on her way, confirming Skye's earlier suspicions that she was diapered. "Hurry up and get ready, I'll be right there."

"Okay!" Jemma smiled, a bright, pure, youthful thing, pulled straight out of an ad for children's toothpaste. And then she scampered out of the room, leaving Skye alone with May.

"You should wrap your hands when you practice." May said after a moment of silence.

"The pain helps me focus." Skye snapped.

May turned around after putting Jemma's popcorn in the microwave.

"That may be true, but you're not going to be throwing any punches with broken fingers."

Skye folded her arms over her chest. She knew she was being childish, but she didn't care. "I didn't ask for your help." She replied testily.

May put her hands on her hips, and Skye knew she was playing with fire.

"I'm your S.O. I'm here to help you whether you like it or not." May replied levelly. "And watch your tone, young lady. Little or not, you are still my subordinate, and I will not tolerare that kind of attitude from you. Do you understand?"

Part of her wanted to provoke May; maybe if May was angry with her, it wouldn't be so hard not to be little. Maybe if she was bad, May would tell her she couldn't be little, and that would help. Getting scolded like that certainly hadn't done her any favors. And anyway, Mom-- _Agent May_ \--was way too calm to let that happen.

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

"I'm not going to pry, but you don't seem like yourself lately. I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you need me." May moved closer to Skye, less than an arm's length away.

"Thank you." Skye said stiffly. She wanted a hug so bad and Mommy was right there and everything was too much... "I appreciate that."

 _Pull it together._ She scolded herself. _You're an adult. Act like it._

Skye turned away. It was easier not to ask for hugs when she couldn't see May. "I'm going to go take a shower. Goodnight, Agent May."

"I don't suppose a hug is too much to ask for?" May held her arms out, open and warm and inviting.

Skye couldn't resist. She let May hug her, and almost burst into tears right there, but she held them back. She could be a brave girl, too. She pulled away, too soon.

"Skye? One more thing: depriving yourself of what you need is only going to make you weaker in the long run."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine. Never better, actually." Skye replied calmly turning to face May again.

May shrugged. "All the same; it's just something to think about...Sweet dreams, Skye."

"Thanks...you too." She answered quietly. She slipped out of the kitchen and made her way toward her room. She passed Dadd-- _Director Coulson--_ and Fitz playing Scrabble in the lounge.

Fitz was doing a lot better; ever since he'd started playing Scrabble with Phil, he'd been stringing sentencea together much more easily.

"Hey, Skye." Fitz smiled at her. "Would you like to join us?"

Skye smiled back. It sounded like fun, but she said: "No thanks. I'm beat, and I'm sweaty and gross from training. Next time for sure though."

"What happened to your hands Skye?" Phil wondered.

Skye glanced down; her knuckles were split and bloody, and the ones that weren't actively bleeding had some nasty-looking bruises. Maybe May was right...

"I forgot to wrap my hands before I started training with the heavy bag." Skye admitted sheepishly.

Phil didn't look entirely convinced, but he didn't press the issue. "Try to remember next time. Your hands are going to be really sore tomorrow..."

"Will do," Skye answered. Aside from the fact that she'd just finished having the same argument with May, she knew that unlike May, Coulson would keep pushing until she told him what was bothering her if she copped an attitude with him, and she couldnvt handle that right now. "I'm gonna hit the sack. Night, D.C. Night, Fitz."

"Night, Skye," they responded together.

Skye walked past May's room and poked her head in to check on Jemma.

Jemma was curled up on the pillows, curled up with Ben Bunny and Jean-Baptiste the tiger.

"Night, cutie-pie. Sweet dreams." Skye said.

Jemma's brow furrowed, ans she looked like she wanted to say something, but all she said was. "G'night 'kye. Wuv you." She didn't even bother taking her paci out.

"Love you too, sweetie. See you in the morning." Skye ducked out of the room--and nearly had a heart attack when May walked up behind her.

Skye almost jumped out of her skin. "Oh, god, May! You scared me. I almost--" she stopped herself. _Wet my pants_ had been how she planned to finish the sentence, but she realized that she actually _did_ have an accident and was thoroughly disappointed in herself. Not to mention glad that she was wearing a pull-up.

She wasn't little, but it was better than wetting her pants for real...

May gave her a knowing look. "You're more than welcome to stay if you want..."

Skye shook her head. "I really need a shower." She said. "See you in the morning, Agent May."

"Goodnight, Skye."

Skye finally arrived in her room, and started digging through her dresser for a some pyjamas. She settled on sweats and an old Captain America t-shirt that Phil had given her.

She reluctantly opened her underwear drawer--if she could even call it that; it held maybe two pairs of actual underwear, the rest was pull-ups, diapers and Skye had buried her blanket underneath everything. She withdrew a pull-up and sighed. No matter how big she was trying to be or how hard she tried, she couldn't get her bladder to cooperate, and pull-ups were an infinitely better option than waking up with wet sheets and clothing.

She stuffed the pull-up between her pyjamas so she didn't have to look at it. She dug down to the bottom of the pile and let herself hold onto the blanket for a ten-count, before she slammed the drawer shut and said a whole bunch more grown-up words in her head. _I'm so pathetic..._ she thought.

Skye went into the bathroom and turned on the shower as hot as she could stand it. She sank to the floor of the tub under the torrent of hot water and gingerly soaped herself with the washcloth. The awful stinging sensation in her diaper area had only gotten worse over the past few days; she had a terrible case of diaper rash, but she was too embarrassed to tell Mommy about it, because that would mean admitting that she wasn't really a big girl.

Skye's eyes welled up, and she didn't bother trying to stop them this time. She missed Mommy so much...she wanted her bottle and Ada Lovelace and lots of hugs. She wanted to nurse before bedtime again; she missed that so much it actually hurt. And she wanted to go to Daddy when she woke up wet and had bad dreams and he would rock her and change her diaper and read her a story. And they would cuddle, and she would feel safe again.

But she couldn't have it.

Skye was a big girl. She had to be strong.

She let the tears fall and sucked her thumb to muffle the sound of her sobbing. At least in here, it was easier to pretend she wasn't crying.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye isn't very good at asking for help. Fortunately for her, she doesn't need to, because Coulson is the best Daddy in the world.

Skye woke with a start, cheeks wet with tears, choking back a scream. Her breath came in sharp, ragged gasp, and her heart felt like it was trying to batter its way out of her chest.

Her first instinct was to go find May, or Coulson, because she felt so little and vulnerable, and she was wet and trembly and it was all too much for her.

It took her a moment to realize that she’d been sucking her thumb; she had no idea for how long, but it irritated her that she hadn’t noticed until now. She jerked it out of her mouth, her hands throbbing painfully in protest.

She felt her eyes welling up again, and she felt too little to stop them, so she settled for crying into her pillow. Her body shook with the force of her sobs; she started coughing, and her stomach heaved, and for an awful moment, she thought she was going to be sick.

Skye forced herself to take a few deep breaths in through her nose, just like Momm— _Agent May_ —had taught her, and she slowly began to calm down. However, now that she wasn’t falling apart she realized that her pull-up had leaked, and that just made her want to cry all over again. She felt way too little to deal with it all by herself—she needed Mommy or Daddy’s help to fix it.

She gritted her teeth and threw the wet covers off, and got out of bed, only to have a painful reminder of her diaper rash when she moved. Skye shut the pain out, even though it _really_ hurt, and she thought that maybe if she cried it would feel better, but she didn’t. She was big. She could look after herself.

Skye took a clean pull-up and a change of clothes from her dresser shuffled painfully down the hallway to the bathroom. She rummaged around in the cupboard under the sink for some wipes, and finding none, she decided to clean herself with a wet cloth. She may as well have used sandpaper for all the pain it caused; she tried to hold back the tears and the whimpering but she wasn’t entirely successful. She pulled the fresh pull-up on and winced when it made contact with her rash; but she finished changing and stuffed the wet one in the garbage.

She returned to her room and stripped the bed, bundling her wet sheets and soiled pyjamas together in a heap and heading to the laundry room. She shuffled toward the kitchen, fervently hoping that it was empty; mostly because she was embarrassed, but also because she was tired and grumpy, and she felt very little. She didn’t know if she could stay strong if she ran into Coulson or May.

Skye muttered a bad word under her breath as she passed through the kitchen—it was empty, but Coulson was on the couch with Jemma in the common room beyond, giving her a bottle.

“Shh,” he whispered, rubbing Jemma’s tummy. “It’s okay,” he didn’t seem to have noticed Skye yet, and she was hoping she would be able to slip by undetected. Coulson looked up as Skye walked past; she stifled a yelp and sucked in a sharp breath, hoping her heart wouldn’t actually stop.

“Do you want some help?” Coulson asked softly.

“I got it,” Skye said stiffly. She almost stomped past him, out of pure, childish spite, but she didn’t want to wake Jemma. She could be big. She would show him. She stuffed her things in the washing machine and started a cycle. She didn’t really want to go back to the kitchen, Daddy— _Director Coulson—_ was there, and she felt so little and tired and scared, and she didn’t know if she could walk past him again without asking for help.

_Stop acting like a baby. You’re a grown up. You don’t need his help._ Skye tried to be firm with herself, but that only made her feel worse. She wanted her blanket. And a bottle. And a diaper, because then she definitely wouldn’t have to worry about leaks, and maybe Daddy or Mommy would know what to do about her rash.

She walked back to the kitchen and was surprised—and a little disappointed—to find Coulson gone. She sat down at the table and nibbled on her thumb. She definitely wanted to suck something, but she was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to stop.

It didn’t help at all that she was exhausted—she never slept well without her blanket. Skye rubbed her temples and tried to think about what a grown-up would do if they couldn’t sleep. She knew they had sleeping pills on the bus—some in FitzSimmons lab, and Coulson and May both kept some in their en-suite bathrooms, but she was afraid to go to FitzSimmons lab by herself, and she didn’t think she’d be able to sneak into Coulson or May’s room without waking them.

Being big was really hard. Skye was tired, and her head hurt, and she was thirsty, and her diaper rash hurt a lot. She wanted to suck her thumb. Or cry. Or both. She didn’t know.

Skye glanced at the bar across the room—alcohol tasted yucky, but it always made her sleepy, and anyway, grown-ups had drinks to help them sleep, so why couldn’t she?

Skye padded across the floor and dug around behind the bar until she came up with a shot glass and an opened bottle of whiskey. She poured herself a shot and put the bottle away. She’d just sat back down at the table when Coulson appeared, and swept the glass away before she could take a sip, pouring its contents down the drain.

“What are you doing, Skye?” he asked, and his voice was firm.

“I _was_ having a drink. Adults do that.”

“It’s late, Skye. You should be in bed.” Coulson didn’t sound particularly cross, just a little annoyed. “And you shouldn’t be drinking. That’s no way to deal with…well, whatever’s bothering you.”

“I’m a grown-up,” Skye replied, straightening up in her chair so she looked more adult; but all she really wanted was a hug and a bottle. Then she’d be able to sleep, she was sure. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Actually, I can. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Kind of comes with the territory.” Coulson sounded a little smug, but his expression was neutral, and his tone patient.

“Whatever.” Dadd— _Coulson_ —may have had a point, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Skye folded her arms. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Could have fooled me.” Coulson replied. “Do you remember the rule, Skye? What are you supposed to do if you wake up wet?”

Skye made a face. It was hard enough to be big without having a conversation about a rule that allowed her to be little. “I’ve been okay so far. I can deal with it on my own.”

“Skye,” Coulson’s tone carried a firmness that hadn’t been present a moment ago. “What’s the rule.”

“I’m going to bed.” Skye snapped. She was tired, and cranky, and really thirsty, and she wouldn’t be able to resist asking Coulson for comfort if she stayed. She was a big girl, and she had to be strong.

“Sit down, Skye.” Coulson said.

“I’m tired. I’m going to bed. We can finish this conversation in the morning.” Skye knew she was treading on thin ice, but the words came out anyway.

“That wasn’t a request.” Coulson stared her down. “And you know as well as I do, that it isn’t very grown-up to walk away from someone who’s trying to talk to you, is it?”

Skye glared right back at him as she sat down hard in her chair—which she immediately regretted, because the hard landing really hurt.

“Thank you,” Coulson said. “I’m not trying to be mean to you, Skye, I’m just worried. You’re not taking very good care of yourself.”

“Says you,” Skye snapped.

“That is enough of your attitude, young lady. I’m not going to tell you again. If you continue to test me, there will be consequences.”

“I’m not a baby.” Skye almost yelled. She wanted to kick and scream and throw things. It wasn’t fair. She was trying so hard to be big, and Daddy was right there and she just wanted a hug and she was sleepy and her bottom hurt, and her she was crying a little and that just made her angry all over again. She scrubbed at her eyes and sniffled, setting her jaw. She wasn’t going to cry anymore.

She was a big girl, and a field agent, and she couldn’t be either of those if she cried like a baby and sucked her thumb.

 

“I didn’t say you were.” Coulson was calm. He was always calm. It made Skye mad—it was so hard to stay calm, especially when she was trying to be big and hold all of her feelings in, and Daddy— _Coulson—_ didn’t even have to try.

Skye clenched her fists, winced at the pain from her busted-up, bruised knuckles, and concentrated on holding back the angry tears that threatened to fall.

“I said you weren’t taking good care of yourself. And if I can’t trust you to do that, then I can’t trust you to take care of your other responsibilities, and I definitely can’t in good conscience put you in the field where not only your life, but the lives of other people are at risk. Effective immediately, you are suspended from active field duty until further notice.”

Skye lost it. She had worked and trained so hard, for such a long time to become a field agent, and now it was all being taken away from her.

“No! No, no, no! You can’t do this to me! It’s not fair! You just love Jemma more than me!” Skye bawled, banging her fists on the table.

“You know that isn’t true, Skye. I love both of you very much, just the same.” Coulson sighed. He stood up from the table and took Skye by the hand, before gently guiding her over to the corner.

“I want you to stand quietly here for one minute and try to calm down. When you’re ready to be nice and respectful, you can come back to the table and we’ll try again. I love you, Skye, and the last thing I want is to make you sad, but it is not okay to be disrespectful.” Coulson pressed a kiss to the top of Skye’s head. “I’ll be at the table when you’re ready to talk.”

Skye was mad. It wasn’t _fair_! She’d been doing so good being big and it was hard and she missed her blanket and her bottle and her diapers and toys and cuddles and hugs and naps, but she’d been strong and gone without them for a _really_ long time. It wasn’t fair that she was being punished for being a big girl.

Her face was hot, and she was crying and she was too full of feelings and it was way too much for her to deal with all by herself. She lashed out, flailing and stomping and crying. It wasn’t fair…

“Skye,” Daddy said, and his voice was calm. “I’m not going to start the minute until you calm down. Take as long as you need.”

Skye sucked her thumb, and it helped, just a little. After what felt like forever, Daddy told her she could come out.

Skye walked over to the table slowly. She felt very little and vulnerable, and she was terrified that Daddy was mad at her.

“Do you need a hug?”

Skye wanted to say no, that she was a big girl and she would be okay, but she couldn’t do it. She crawled into Daddy’s lap and let him rock her and rock her and rock her. “I’m sorry I was bad, Daddy. Please don’t be mad at me.” She hiccupped and buried her face in Daddy’s shoulder. She really wanted her blanket.

Daddy rubbed her back, and she felt so little and vulnerable and full of emotions that she just cried more.

_I’m so pathetic…I’m a bad agent; I have to be in control…_ Skye tried to stop crying, she really did, but she couldn’t. She held on to Daddy like a lifeline as he rocked her, otherwise she might get swept away in all her feelings—it was just too much for her right now.

“You’re not bad, baby, you just needed a little help remembering to behave. It’s okay.” Daddy kissed her forehead. “I’m not trying to punish you Skye. I love you very much, and I would be very, very sad if you got hurt because you were out in the field and not at your best. I need you safe, Skye. You’re way too important to me for me to take chances with your safety.”

Skye didn’t say anything. She was still really upset, but she guessed, that maybe, if she thought about it, she could understand. She sighed and put her thumb back in her mouth, hooking her fingers over her nose. Her head hurt, and she was really sleepy, and she needed a bottle and her blanket. She whimpered.

“What’s wrong, baby? Do you want a bottle? Daddy asked.

Skye nodded. She felt too little to say it out loud, and she was very grateful that Daddy knew what she needed.

Daddy lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to help him hold her, resting her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck. She heard the refrigerator open, and felt Daddy’s arm move, and then he carried her over to the couch in the lounge.

She settled against him and sucked on the teat of the bottle when he put it to her lips. Cool milk filled her mouth, washed over her tongue, soothing her. She felt very little and very vulnerable, but she knew Daddy would keep her safe. She reached up and clung to his shirt, because she needed him, and she felt way too little to say that out loud, so she just held onto him and hoped he understood.

“I love you, baby girl. I love you so much.”

_I love you too, Daddy._ Skye wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come to her. She looked up at him, and he met her gaze, and she felt so little and so vulnerable and there was so much love in his eyes that she almost started crying again. She tried talking, but the words were very far away, so she snuggled closer and held on tighter instead. She felt Daddy kiss her forehead again, and she finally gave up on fighting sleep.

She closed her eyes and let the sound of Daddy’s heart be her lullaby.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being little is scary sometimes. It's a good thing Skye has a family that loves her to help her along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's been a lot of angst and crying in the past few chapters, so I thought something a little lighter would be nice.

Skye woke early the next morning, hot and sweaty and stiff. She was wet again, if the awful burning sensation in her diaper area was anything to go by; she’d definitely felt worse pain before, but this was somehow too much, and she started to cry.

Daddy was holding her, snoring softly, and she tried to be quiet so she didn’t wake him, but it was hard.

Mommy came into the room then, and she looked like maybe she’d been training, and Skye felt bad that she’d missed it. She might not be allowed to be a field agent anymore, but she loved Mommy so much, and she wanted to spend as much time as she possibly could with her.

Mommy sat down next to her and Daddy on the couch and pulled Skye into her lap. “Good morning, baby.” She kissed Skye’s forehead. “Are you wet?”

Skye nodded. Words were hard sometimes, especially when she was curled up safe between Mommy and Daddy.

“I think we should probably change your diaper, don’t you? You don’t want to get a rash.”

Skye nodded. Her rash hurt really bad, and she wanted Mommy to fix it, but she was embarrassed, and the words didn’t want to come out. She held onto Mommy and sucked her thumb, letting herself be led to May’s bedroom.

Jemma was there, sound asleep, sucking softly on her pacifier. The covers were all messed up, and Jemma’s shirt had ridden up in the night, letting the waistband of her diaper peek out from her pants.

She laid on the bed and sucked her thumb and cuddled with the stuffed bear Mommy handed her. She rubbed the bear’s soft fur against her cheek and pretended it was her blanket.

Mommy tore the sides of her pull-up and pulled the wet garment away from her skin.

“Oh, my goodness; poor baby!” May exclaimed. “This is terrible! Why didn’t you say anything?”

Skye clenched her eyes shut and cried when the wipes touched her. “I tryin’ t’ be big, Mommy. I sorry.” She knew the words hadn’t come out quite right, but she was little; she didn’t have to worry about that, Mommy would understand.

Mommy kissed her forehead. “You don’t have to be sorry, sweetheart. I just wish you would have said something sooner; I don’t like seeing you in pain.” Mommy spread some rash cream on Skye’s rash, and the skin was so irritated that even that was painful.

Skye sucked in a breath, and some tears slipped down her cheeks without her permission.

“It’s okay, baby, you can cry if you need to.”

The tears just came harder and faster when Mommy said that, and Skye was scared, because she couldn’t stop, no matter how hard she tried. “Mommy…” she said, reaching for May.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby, I promise. I’m right here.”

Mommy's voice was soft and gentle; she sprinkled baby powder onto Skye's diaper are, and it smelled nice and it tickled when Mommy smoothed into her skin.

Skye tried to sit up. She needed Mommy to hold her; she was little and it hurt so bad and she was scared and she just wanted a hug. Maybe that would make it better.

Mommy gently pushed her back down onto the bed and that only made her cry harder—she couldn’t handle not being able to hug Mommy, she didn’t even care that she was naked.

“We’re almost done, sweetheart.” Mommy said, stroking her cheek gently. “Then you can have all the hugs you want, I promise. I just need you to lay down so I can finish.”

Skye sucked her thumb, and that helped, but only a little bit. She tried hard to lay still, even though it hurt a whole lot, and she was still crying, and she really needed a hug. She wrapped her other arm around herself, almost like a hug. It wasn’t the same as the real thing, but she was getting clean and dry and Mommy was right here and that helped.

“It’s okay, Skye,” Jemma’s voice was thick with sleep and distorted by her paci, but Skye understood; she was very grateful when Jemma took her hand and rubbed it gently. “Mommy’s almost done.”

That helped a lot. Jemma was really good at being gentle and kind and comforting; especially when she snuggled up next to Skye and stroked her hair soothingly. Even though Skye still really needed a hug, she didn’t feel nearly as afraid with Jemma there. She wasn’t alone.

“All done,” Mommy said, kissing Skye’s tummy, just above her diaper. She hadn’t bothered to put Skye’s pants back on.

Skye sat up and leaned into Mommy, holding on really tight, resting her head on Mommy’s shoulder. She wanted to nurse, but she was too embarrassed to ask for that with Jemma right there.

Mommy reached under Skye’s shirt and rubbed her back. Her skin was so soft and so warm and it felt so safe. Skye pressed her wet, snotty face into Mommy’s shoulder and tried to stop crying. She was so little, and even though her rash felt much better, the little bit of pain that lingered was somehow too much, and she didn’t know how to cope with it without Mommy’s help.

“All done, baby girl.” Mommy said, rocking her gently. The rocking, combined with the gentle rubbing on her back made Skye think that maybe she could fall asleep again, if she wasn’t so hungry.

“Good morning little one,” May was saying. “Thank you for helping with Skye. That was very nice of you and I’m so, so proud of you for being such a good helper.”

Jemma smiled.

Skye’s stomach growled audibly.

May chuckled softly and patted Skye’s back. “I think it’s time for breakfast. Do you need to be changed before we eat, Jemma?”

Jemma flushed and Skye could understand that, she still felt a little embarrassed sometimes when she got asked that question.

“No, I’m dry.” Jemma said. “What will we have for breakfast?”

Mommy looked at Skye. “I’m not sure. What are you hungry for baby?”

Skye thought about it. “Waffles.”

“What do you think, Jemma? Does that sound good to you?”

Jemma sucked her paci thoughtfully for a moment, and then nodded.

“Waffles it is. Come on, kids, let’s go.”

“Mommy, what about my pants?” Skye wondered, sliding her thumb into her mouth while she waited for an answer.

May sighed a little. “I think it’s for the best if I can see your diaper for a while, Skye. Your rash is really bad, and it wouldn’t have gotten nearly as severe if you’d told us when you were wet. So, I think you should just let Daddy and I worry about that for now. When your rash clears up, we can try again if you think you can handle telling us when you’re wet.”

Skye sniffled. First, she wasn’t allowed to be a field agent anymore, and now she couldn’t even wear pants. She sucked her thumb, trying to comfort herself, but it didn’t help that much. She knew better than to try and argue with Mommy though; she didn’t want to go to time-out first thing in the morning.

Skye really wanted Mommy to carry her, but she knew she couldn’t ask for that, so she just held on to Mommy’s hand tight as they went down the hall to the kitchen. It really helped that Jemma was holding her other hand; she felt extra safe that way.

 

Daddy was in the kitchen, taking pots and pans out of the cupboards, and Skye was suddenly embarrassed about not having any pants, so she let go of Jemma’s hand and hid behind Mommy.

“There’s my girls. What is everyone hungry for this morning?” Daddy asked, smiling.

Jemma went over to give Daddy a hug, and then took her paci out so she could talk. “Can we have waffles Daddy? Please?”

Daddy kissed her forehead, and Skye felt a little jealous. She wanted Daddy’s affection too, but she was too embarrassed to let him see her in just her diaper and a shirt. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before, but somehow, not being allowed to wear pants instead of deciding not to wear them made it worse.

“Good morning, baby.” Daddy said, and he was looking right at her and she felt so little.

“Good morning, Daddy.” Skye replied around her thumb, so the words came out a little unclear.

“Do you want a hug?” Daddy asked, and Skye did, more than anything in the whole wide world, but she didn’t know if she could be brave enough to go to him. She wasn’t wearing any pants and he could see her diaper and he was so far away. She sucked her thumb furiously; she didn’t want to let go of Mommy’s hand. Being little was really scary sometimes; and it had been a really long time since she’d let herself feel like this, she wasn’t very sure of herself anymore. The kitchen was a big place, and Daddy was all the way on the other side of it.

She wet her diaper a little, mostly because she was nervous, she thought. Maybe if she crawled, it would be easier—she didn’t know if she could walk that far, and she wasn’t brave like Jemma—she’d gone over to Daddy all by herself, and she hadn’t tripped or stumbled at all. Her diaper was probably still dry, too.

Skye took a deep breath. She bet that she could be brave like her big sister if she tried hard enough. Mommy was close by, and she knew that Mommy would never, ever let anything bad happen to her.

“Go on, Skye, it’s okay.” Mommy gently guided Skye so she was standing in front of her, and gave her a gentle nudge forward.

Skye’s legs suddenly felt wobbly, and the floor seemed to stretch on forever, but she could still see Daddy, so she thought she’d be okay. She took a hesitant step forward, then another, and her feet were sweaty, and she was suddenly afraid of falling down—it would hurt a lot, she thought. Her heart was beating really hard and fast, and that was scary. It felt funny, and not in a fun way, and she wasn’t sure how to make it stop.

She was crying. It was too far, she couldn’t do it, she wasn’t brave like Jemma—she didn’t think she would ever be that brave, not even in a million, billion years.

“Mama, help,” her voice came out all croaky; she’d meant to say ‘mommy’ but somehow, that word had been too big for her and her throat was dry and she really wanted to nurse.

Mommy’s hands went around her waist, settling on her hips, supporting her. “I’m right here, baby. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall…”

Skye was so grateful to hear that—falling was scary, but she knew Mommy could protect her. She took a few more steps, and then a few more, and then Jemma was on her knees next to Daddy, reaching for Skye’s hand.

“Come on, Noni, you can do it.” Jemma’s voice was soft and gentle and soothing, like something out of the TV shows that Leo said were just for babies.

The name was silly, and didn’t make sense, but it made Skye feel warm and happy and safe in a different way than Mommy and Daddy made her feel—Jemma was saying: _I love you_. _I’ll protect you too._

Skye took the last few steps to Daddy, and almost fell over from sheer exhaustion—she didn’t think she’d ever walked that far in her life. She held out her arms for a hug and said:

“Up, Daddy,”

“You got it sweetheart.” Daddy scooped her up off the ground, and kissed her forehead; and she wrapped her legs around his waist to hold herself there, breathing heavily, spent, and tired.

“Yay, Skye! You did it! Good job!” Jemma’s voice was very quiet, like a whisper, but Skye could tell she was cheering.

Skye smiled and turned to look at Mommy. “Did you see me? I did it! Mommy, did you see?” Maybe she could be brave like Jemma. Thinking about that made her happy.

Mommy was smiling. “I saw, baby! I’m so proud of you!”

“You must be pretty hungry after all that walking,” Daddy observed.

Skye nodded and her stomach growled again. “My tummy wants food. It’s very hungry,” she told him. And it was: she kept trying to tell it to be quiet—not to shut up, because Mommy said it wasn’t nice to tell that to people—but it wasn’t listening. Stupid tummy. She thought she might have to tell it to shut up, because it wasn’t being very nice to her either making noise the way it was, but she didn’t want Mommy to be mad at her.

Daddy smiled. “I think we can fix that. Why don’t you sit at the table with Jemma, and I’ll get started on the waffles.”

Skye nodded. “Okay. Can I have my bottle?” She felt a little braver now, and her words weren’t hiding anymore. She felt grown-up, like Jemma—words didn’t hide from her.

“Sure thing princess,” Daddy said, and he set her down in the chair next to Jemma’s and got her favorite bottle from the fridge, the one with the pretty butterflies on it.

Skye sucked at it greedily—she was really thirsty from all the walking earlier. She had to hold it with both hands, they were still a little clammy, and she was afraid she would drop it, and then she wouldn’t be able to drink out of it because it would be dirty. She didn’t want that.

Jemma reached over, and gently eased the bottle from Skye’s mouth.

Skye reacted without thinking, tearing the bottle out of Jemma’s hand with all her might. It was _her_ bottle. She _needed_ it; no one seemed to understand that. Well, except maybe Jemma who still had bottles sometimes, but she was way bigger than Skye, and she could go a lot longer without having one. And anyway, most of the time she had a cup with a big-girl lid, unless it was naptime, or bedtime, and it never, ever spilled. It was nice, and maybe Skye was a teeny bit jealous of Jemma’s big-kid stuff sometimes, but she loved her bottle way too much to give it up for that.

“Mine!” Skye said, just in case Jemma didn’t know.

“I’m not gonna take your bottle, Noni, I just don’t want you to get a tummyache. They’re no fun, and you’ll get one for sure if you drink too fast.” Jemma’s voice was calm, and she didn’t seem like she wanted to take Skye’s bottle for real, but she seemed a little shaken.

“Skye, be nice. I know you love your bottle, but it’s important to share, and it isn’t very nice to yell at other people when they’re trying to help you. Can you tell Jemma you’re sorry?” Mommy said gently, and Skye felt bad for scaring Jemma.

“Sorry,” she said dutifully, and returned to sucking her bottle, albeit considerably slower than she had been.

Leo shuffled into the kitchen and yawned. “Breakfast smells good,” he said, and Skye was happy for him, because she knew that his words liked to hide from him sometimes too, and he didn’t like it at all; he seemed to be doing a lot better, though.

“We’re having waffles,” Daddy said. “Morning, Leo.”

“Morning,” Leo replied calmly. “everyone,” he added. “Good morning, everyone.”

“Morning,” Jemma chirped, bouncing in her seat a little. Skye couldn’t tell if she had to pee, or if she was excited to see Leo, or if she was just really hungry.

“Hi!” Skye said, louder than she meant to, and went back to sucking her bottle. There was apple juice in it this time, cool and sweet and refreshing.

“Inside voices, Skye,” Mommy reminded her gently.

“Okay,” Skye whispered back, just to show Mommy she was listening. It was hard to remember to be quiet sometimes, especially when she got excited. She was happy to see Leo; she thought that maybe he was happy too, since his words weren’t hiding from him like they sometimes did in the mornings. She wanted to give him a hug, but then she remembered that she wasn’t wearing pants and her diaper was wet and she was too embarrassed to get up.

She was happy to see him though, because she had missed him, and now her whole family was together. She couldn’t imagine anything better than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I sincerely apologize if I offended anyone "Noni" (at least according to my research) is a bitter tropical fruit. I don't know much about slang in the UK, but I know there's a word that's fairly similar that means something entirely different. I think I'm safe with this nickname, but feel free to yell at me if it's offensive and I'll think of something else.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye's having some attitude problems, and Jemma's struggling with being little. Fortunately, Mommy and Daddy know just what to do.

****

“I think you got more food on you, than in you.” Daddy was saying as he wiped gently at her face with a damp cloth.

Skye tried to stand still, but it was difficult. The worn edges of the cloth kept sticking to her lips, and it tasted gross, and Jemma was allowed to go play after breakfast, and she didn’t understand why she had to miss out on the fun. She squirmed impatiently.

“Try to stay still, Skye. As soon as you’re clean, you can go play; we can’t have you running around with sticky fingers. You’ll get syrup on everything.”

“But, I wanna go play!” Skye huffed. “Jemma gets to play, how come I can’t? It’s not fair!” Skye’s foot stomped, all by itself, and she put her hands on her hips, just like Mommy did when she was upset.

“Mind your temper, Skye. I know you want to go play, and it’s no fun to stand here, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to throw a fit. Jemma was just a little neater than you at the table, baby. That’s all.”

Skye sniffled, and her eyes burned. She didn’t want to cry again, but it was already happening, and she didn’t feel big enough to do anything about it by herself. She sucked her thumb and wished she had her blanket, but her room was dark and scary, and she didn’t want to go in there all alone, because then the shadows with teeth would gobble her up.

She hadn’t meant to make such a mess of herself, it’d just kind of happened. At least she hadn’t got syrup in her hair—otherwise, Mommy would’ve made her take a bath for sure, and baths always made her sleepy.

Daddy hugged her, rocking gently, and she pressed her face into his shoulder. He pulled back and kissed her forehead. “It’s okay Skye,” he said, wiping the corners of her mouth with the cloth. “All done. See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Skye shook her head. She thought that maybe it wasn’t _that_ terrible. But it was still no fun. “Can I go play now?” she wondered.

“One more thing, sweetheart,” Daddy said, and slid two fingers inside her diaper at one of the leg gathers. He took them out again and rubbed his thumb over them thoughtfully. “I think we should probably change your diaper first, baby.”

Skye’s foot stomped again. Her diaper wasn’t even that wet. “No,” she whined, dragging out the word. Hadn’t she suffered enough already?

Daddy took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. “It’s not up for discussion, baby girl. You’re wet, and you need a new diaper. You want your rash to get better, right?”

Skye nodded reluctantly. Diaper rash hurt a lot.

“Well, then, we need to change your diaper. It’ll only take a minute, you’ll have plenty of time to play when we’re done.” Daddy said.

Skye folded her arms and pouted with a huff. She never got to have any fun. She took Daddy’s hand when he offered it to her, and let herself be led away to be changed. They were just passing her room, when she remembered her blanket; Daddy was with her now, and that meant it was safe to go to her room.

“Daddy, can we get my blanket?” Skye tugged on his arm as they were about to pass her room.

“Sure, sweetheart. Is it in your room?”

Skye nodded. “Uh-huh,” she dug through her drawer until she found it, rubbing its soft, worn edge against her cheek. She had really missed blanket. She grabbed a diaper out of her drawer for Daddy; she was a good girl, and she wanted to be helpful.

“You’re such a good helper, Skye. Thank you.” Daddy said, and ruffled her hair.

Skye laid down on the bed when Daddy told her to, and tried to relax. She tried hard to be good and stay still while he changed her diaper, but it was hard—it took a lot longer than it normally did. It did feel nice to be in a dry diaper, though, it felt safe, snug and soft against her butt.

“All done,” Daddy said, patting her leg. “Good girl. You can go play for a while, but it’ll be naptime after lunch, okay?”

“Okay,” Skye murmured dejectedly. It was stupid. She didn’t need a nap. She wasn’t even tired! And, she bet she wouldn’t be tired after lunch either. It wasn’t fair. She got up and went to find Jemma—lunch wouldn’t be for a long time still.

Jemma was curled up on the couch with Mommy, watching TV. Leo was there too, but he was far away, in Daddy’s favorite chair, playing with his tablet.

Skye climbed up next to Mommy and curled up small, sucking softly on her thumb. She rubbed her blanket against her nose and sniffed deeply. It smelled like diapers and baby powder and a little like the soap Mommy liked to wash with, but it had been ages and ages since she’d slept with Mommy, so that was fading.

“Hi, Mommy,” she said softly. Her tummy hurt a little, and she thought at first that maybe she’d eaten too much at breakfast. Then she realized: she needed to go to the bathroom.

She squirmed uncomfortably. She was embarrassed to ask Mommy to take her to the potty—she felt way too little to go by herself, but she didn’t think she wanted to poop in her diaper either. She’d done it twice before, once when she was sick, and a second time when she’d waited to ask for someone to take her, and by the time she’d thought about it again, there wasn’t a bathroom nearby. The second time, it had just been her and Mommy, and she was really glad that it was just the two of them, because it felt gross and smelled bad and she’d never felt so little before; it was probably the most embarrassing thing ever.

“Hi, baby,” Mommy said, and wrapped her arm around Skye and pulled her close. “You okay?”

Skye sucked her thumb and leaned against Mommy. She rubbed her tummy absently, and wished the feeling would go away. She knew that Leo and Jemma would probably think she was gross, or crazy, or both, but sometimes she wished that she didn’t have to worry about going potty at all.

She nodded. “I’m okay, Mommy.”

“You’d tell me if you weren’t right?” Mommy continued, like she didn’t quite believe Skye.

Skye knew that she should probably just ask Mommy to take her now, but she was embarrassed, and Leo and Jemma were there, and she felt too little to do anything about it. She almost wanted to cry, but she didn’t.

She nodded and leaned against Mommy. She didn’t have to go too badly. She could ignore it if she tried, and she didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Mommy stroked her hair and her cheek, and Skye felt herself drifting. She sucked her thumb and rubbed her blanket on her nose. She felt little and safe, and she knew that Mommy would take care of her.

 

[JEMMA]

Jemma sucked her dummy and tried to relax. She’d wet her diaper, and she was embarrassed to tell May that she needed to be changed. She knew May wouldn’t be cross with her; she always said that it was okay to use her diaper if she wanted to, but in practice it was very hard not to worry that May would be upset.

She didn’t want to get a rash though. She squirmed. It was so hard to let go. She was envious of Skye sometimes—pretty much all the time, but she was embarrassed to admit that to herself, because it made her feel childish and silly and petty. It was so easy for Skye to let go and be little, and Jemma spent a lot of time frustrated with herself—she wondered what her Mum would say if she knew about this side of her…

Jemma sighed and sucked more anxiously on her dummy. Her mum didn’t want anything to do with her—if anything, she’d probably be disowned if her Mum found out.

She felt very foolish, sitting there in a diaper when she should be working—HYDRA was still out there, and Tripp was dead and Mack was dead and it was all her fault, because she should have been working on the GH325 serum, analyzing and studying it so she could save lives instead of sucking a dummy and wetting her pants.

Her face felt hot, and her eyes burned and her throat was tight, and she was going to cry and that just made her more upset, because she was _so_ scared, and she felt way too little to deal with everything all by herself, and all the while she felt stupid and angry and useless for needing so much comfort and looking after in the first place.

She felt her eyes welling up, and she was so mad at herself for crying, but she felt too little to stop it, and then her face was awash with tears; they dripped off her chin and into her lap in big, fat drops, and the harder she tried to stop, the more she cried.

“Jemma? What’s wrong?” May sounded so worried, and Jemma wanted her comfort _so bad_.

Words wouldn’t come to her. She felt littler than she could ever remember feeling, and she was so scared and she couldn’t breathe…

Jemma stood up and fled. She heard May tell Leo to watch Skye, and that only made her run faster. She knew there was nowhere to actually _go_ , since they were on a plane, but she had to get away. She ran into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, and that was as far as she got before she couldn’t fight the tears any longer.

She was crying hard, crying because she shouldn’t be little, but she needed it so badly, crying because her Mum didn’t want her, crying because the toilet seemed to be mocking her as her wet diaper squished under her bum. She curled up in a ball under the sink, because she was just small enough to fit there, and she needed to hide from everything. She tried rocking herself, and imagining that Mommy was holding her, but that only made it worse.

Her wet diaper squished with every movement she made, mocking her, because only babies wet their pants, and she wasn’t big, no matter how badly she tried to tell herself otherwise. She scrambled, clawing at the tapes, and ripped the diaper off; one of her nails drew blood when it caught the skin on her belly, and the pain was too much and she wanted the diaper off and she needed Mommy, but she was all alone. And maybe that was what she deserved, because she was pathetic and a freak and no one would ever accept her.

Jemma finally succeeded in getting the diaper off, and she wadded it up and stuffed it in the garbage. She realized then that she was still sucking her dummy and she took it out and hurled it across the bathroom. It was only after she’d done it that she realized that she missed her diaper—even when it was wet, it had made her feel safe, and the floor was very cold and now she couldn’t even suck her dummy because it was dirty since it was on the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest and cried into them, hard and ragged, a proper cry. Her throat was dry and her stomach was sick and she didn’t think she’d ever wanted a bottle and a fresh diaper and a hug more than she did right at that moment.

The bathroom door opened and shut and then May knelt down so she could see Jemma.

“Poor little girl,” May’s voice was soft, almost a coo, and Jemma thought that maybe she could listen to her, even though she was supposed to be big. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” Jemma said, and she couldn’t look at May, because she was too ashamed. “I’m such a bad girl. I want to be good and brave, and grown-up, but I can’t. I’m useless, and you should just get rid of me.”

May sat with her back against the wall across from Jemma. “You know what I think?” she asked.

Jemma looked up, and somehow, the tenderness in May’s eyes made her feel even littler and more vulnerable. She didn’t know if she could talk.

“I think you’re very brave for telling me how you feel, and I’m proud of you, because that’s hard to do sometimes, isn’t it?”

Jemma felt herself nodding.

“And, part of being a grown-up is knowing your limits. Even the Avengers take breaks sometimes—they can’t save the world if they’re too tired and worn out to fight all the bad guys. There’s nothing wrong with needing time to unwind, and if you need to be little to do that, that’s perfectly okay. You’ve been under a tremendous amount of stress lately little one, so that’s even more true for you.”

Jemma wanted so badly to believe that, but she didn’t know if she could.

“Do you need a hug, baby? You look like you could use one.”

Jemma crawled out from under the sink; she didn’t care that she was naked, she just wanted some comfort. She crawled into Mommy’s arms and curled up as small as she could, and Mommy rocked her and rocked her and rocked her. She was so tired. She yawned and rested her head on Mommy’s shoulder.

“I love you, baby. You’re so good, and I love you so much. I’d like you to try not to worry so much about being little—there’s enough stress in the world without that. Just try to relax; I’ll take care of you.”

Jemma didn’t know if she could, but she’d try. She rested her head against Mommy and closed her eyes. She was so tired and Mommy was so safe, and she didn’t think Mommy would mind if she just closed her eyes for a little while…

Mommy started humming then, a slow, sweet song, and Jemma gave up on fighting sleep. She was way too little and too tired to think about anything other than a nice nap; she didn’t even care that it wasn’t naptime yet.

She was little and vulnerable and exposed and sensitive and she needed so much, but when she was in Mommy’s arms, none of that mattered. She could be little if she needed to. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of Mommy’s voice. She sighed, letting go of all her worries and fears and just letting Mommy rock her.

The world was a scary place, but Mommy had her, and she couldn’t imagine a safer place to be than in Mommy’s arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone always leaves. Skye has known this her whole life. Sooner or later she does something bad, and they leave. Why would things change now.
> 
> [Warning: This chapter contains a messy diaper. Nothing graphic at all, it's just there.]

[LEO]

Skye had looked lonely, so Leo had moved over to sit next to her on the couch. She was leaning against him, head tucked under his chin, her hair tickling his nose. He’d given up on playing games on his tablet when Skye had cuddled up to him. It had been awkward at first—he knew she wore nappies most of the time, but to have it fully exposed made him feel a little wrong—like he was looking at something he shouldn’t. They were basically her knickers at this point, and he knew that he’d be uncomfortable if his underwear was on display, so he resolved not to stare. He hadn’t been able to see the screen, and he felt bad asking her to move, so they’d decided to watch TV instead.

He thought Doctor Who might’ve been a little too much for her to handle right now, so they were watching Scooby-Doo. Leo vaguely remembered it from his own childhood, and it wasn’t too scary for Skye.

It made him feel good that he was helping out. He was making progress, even he could see that now; he’d come a long way since…that. Words could still be challenging sometimes, and he came up short more often than he would have liked, but it was still infinitely better than the place he’d come from. He could still be useful. He could still be a member of the…he came up short again.

He must’ve been frowning, because Skye pulled away from him and peered at his face. She was sucking her thumb, and she looked concerned. She patted his arm.

“Okay?” She asked. Or, at least, that’s what he thought she’d said. She hadn’t taken her thumb out of her mouth, so it was a little hard to understand.

There was a bright spot in his brain where the word should have been, and he concentrated on it. That had been happening more and more recently, and he was very grateful. Before, all the words had been fragmented, torn asunder to drift aimlessly through his head, coming to mind at the wrong time, or not at all and it had made conversation painful and difficult.

_Team_. That was the word. _Progress at last_. Leo smiled. He’d felt silly, playing those computer games from another lifetime, the ones that were meant to help small children learn to read, and expand their vocabulary, but it seemed that his persistence had paid off.

“Yeah,” he said finally, swallowing. “I’m okay.” He was thirsty, and he needed to use the restroom. “I’m going to get a drink. Do you want anything?”

Skye shrugged, rubbing her stomach absently. She’d been doing that for a while, and Leo wondered if she was feeling sick—she’d eaten breakfast pretty fast; and made quite the mess of herself in the process. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had a stomachache.

“Are you alright?” Leo hoped she’d say yes; he wasn’t like Phil or May, he wouldn’t know what to do if she was ill.

Skye made a face. “I…I’m fine.”

Leo didn’t quite believe her, but he didn’t want to pry—it wasn’t his place. “I’ll be right back. Stay here, okay?”

Skye nodded, but she looked a little offended. “I’ll be good.” She told him.

Leo got up and went to the kitchen. He got a soda for himself out of the fridge, and he knew that May didn’t like Skye to have much caffeine, especially if she was little, so he lingered a little longer, searching for something appropriate. There was plenty of milk in the fridge, but nothing else that Skye could have—Leo was absolutely certain that beer was out of the question. He thought that she must get tired of having regular milk all the time, so he searched the cupboards in search of chocolate syrup.

Leo carefully unscrewed the top on one of the bottles and put some of the syrup in. He put the cap back on with his right hand—he had to relearn to do almost everything after…Ward. His left hand was back to normal, and his right hand was doing a lot better, but he still needed practice. He shook the bottle until the coloring was nice and even, and then hesitated.

Chocolate milk probably wasn’t the most sensible thing to give Skye if her stomach hurt…But kids liked chocolate milk, right? And anyway, she’d said she was okay.

He knew he’d made the right decision when she smiled at him. It was big and full of teeth, and she looked genuinely happy for the first time in…well, a while. He sat back down, but Skye didn’t cuddle up to him.

Instead, she stood up, squirming, and Leo thought she might need to be changed. It had made him uncomfortable at first, being around Skye when she was in nappies, because she was an adult and shouldn’t need them. But after…things had happened, and he realized that he shouldn’t be so quick to judge. After all, there were much worse things she could be doing to relax, like drugs. And anyway, he’d tried it himself, and even though he’d never let himself go as far as Jemma or Skye—being that little held no appeal for him—sometimes it was nice to be a little less…responsible.

“I…I need to go…” Skye began, and her voice was tight, almost panicked.

“It’s okay. I’ll be here when you get back.”

Skye nodded and hurried out of the room.

Leo took a sip of his soda, and set a timer on his tablet before returning to his game. Skye had been acting strangely all morning, and there was no telling—Leo preferred not to think about it—what kind of mischief Skye would get up to if she was left on her own. He’d been around long enough to know how long, at least roughly, it took to change a nappy, and if Skye wasn’t back shortly, he’d go looking for her.

Leo put his drink on the coffee table and went back to his game.

 

[SKYE]

Skye was crying.

She really had to go now, and she should’ve just asked Mommy to take her to the potty earlier when they’d all been together, but she’d been too embarrassed. And now, she was all alone, and she _hurt_ , and she was scared, and she was way too little to go to the potty by herself.

Mommy was with Jemma, and Daddy was busy, and she couldn’t ask Leo to take her to the potty, because it would be awkward, and she didn’t feel safe enough to go with him; he was the best big brother ever, but he wouldn’t know how to help her in the bathroom, not like Mommy or Daddy.

Another awful spasm doubled Skye over, and it hurt so much and she couldn’t move and she just wanted this to be _over_. She didn’t want to hurt anymore. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried not to think about what she was about to do.

She pushed, and then it was over. Her diaper was full. She was such a _baby_.

The magnitude of what she had done took a moment to register. And when it did, she felt terrible.

She was so _bad_.

Skye burst into tears, glad that her nose was running because she couldn’t smell anything that way—the gross squishy feeling in her diaper was uncomfortable enough without that to deal with too.

Mommy was going to hate her, she was sure. She was a bad girl, she’d gone too far, and now May was going to get rid of her like everyone else, and she’d be all alone and she was way too little to be by herself. Ward was still out there somewhere, and he was going to _get_ her and nowhere was safe except here, in her room, where she could curl up small and hide and no one would ever find her and she wouldn’t have to leave.

Skye sucked her thumb and rubbed her blanket against her cheek. _Little_ didn’t even begin to describe how she felt. She was tiny, microscopic, and helpless and she wanted her Mommy, but she was too scared to go find her because she was smelly and disgusting and bad and Mommy would hate her forever.

“Skye?” Mommy’s voice.

Skye curled up tighter. She needed Mommy, but she was also terrified of what would happen when she found her.

“I know you’re in here, baby.” Mommy’s voice was soft and gentle; she didn’t sound like she was mad.

Skye peeked hesitantly over the edge of the bed, squirming uncomfortably as the mess in her diaper shifted. She really wanted to get changed.

“I…” She tried to talk, but the words got stuck in her throat and she was scared, and a baby, and she didn’t want Mommy to leave her. She started crying again.

“Shhh,” Mommy said, and held out a hand. Skye didn’t know if she could be brave enough to go to her. “It’s okay, baby girl. I’m not upset. I promise.”

Skye edged towards the end of the bed. Her diaper felt yucky, and she wanted Mommy to make it better, but she was afraid. She didn’t have any pants and everyone would _see_ and she felt small and embarrassed and ashamed and bad.

“I pooped my pants…” Skye said in a very small, quiet voice. She closed her eyes and waited for Mommy to tell her to get off her plane, that she’d gone too far this time, and that she couldn’t have nasty, smelly babies who pooped themselves on her bus.

But she didn’t.

“I know. It’s okay.”

Skye opened one eye and sucked her thumb furiously, nuzzling her blanket. “Aren’t you mad?” she wondered. She was really scared of the answer, but she had to be sure.

“I’m not mad.” Mommy said, her voice gentle and calm and kind. “A little surprised, maybe, but not mad. That’s what your diaper is for, even if you usually go in the toilet. Come on, honey, let’s go get you cleaned up. That can’t be comfortable.”

It wasn’t. Skye tried to stand up but it was hard and she was shaking terribly; her whole body felt small and fragile, like a strong gust of wind would shatter her. She sucked her thumb a little more, trying to gather her courage, because Mommy was far away. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t hold her, she wasn’t big enough and everything was too much and she was so little, and so she crawled.

Mommy knelt down in front of Skye close and so far away at the same time. Her expression was so kind and full of love and unbelievably tender that Skye let herself believe, just for an instant, that maybe, just maybe, Mommy wasn’t mad at her. She crawled forward, small and afraid and vulnerable and then Mommy leaned forward and pulled her close and stroked her hair, and it was only then that Skye realized that she was crying again.

“Mommy…” She said pitifully, her voice impossibly small and quiet. She just wanted to be held; that was the safest place for her, because the minute Mommy let go, anything could happen and that was a really scary thought.

“Shhh, baby, shhh.” Mommy rocked her, and she felt a little less awful. “I’ve got you.” She kissed her temple. “I’ve got you, baby. It’s okay. I’m here.”

“I sorry.” Skye said quietly, making herself as small as she could so Mommy could hold all of her. Mommy was close and she was safe, but she was still so afraid…she was _bad_ , and sooner or later Mommy would realize that and get rid of her, and that was terrifying. She didn’t want to think about it—she loved her family way too much to ever leave them, but that was what always happened.

She was just a baby in a dirty diaper that people pretended to love, until they got bored, or she did something bad, or they decided they didn’t love anymore, and then they would throw her away.

Skye held onto Mommy and cried so hard that she thought she was going to throw up. She held on as tight as she could; she didn’t ever want to let go.

“You don’t have to be sorry sweetheart. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Mommy reached under her shirt and rubbed her back, and she was gentle and warm and soft and Skye felt so safe. She wanted to believe her, but she didn’t know if she could. She was just starting to calm down when a horrible thought surfaced:

“What if someone sees me?” She wondered, swallowing hard, and hoping she wouldn’t throw up on top of everything else as her tummy tied itself in a knot.

“They won’t.” Mommy’s voice was sure. She pressed a kiss to Skye’s temple. “Leo’s in Phil’s office, and Jemma’s taking a nap. It’s alright.”

Skye sniffled, and then she was crying again. “Are you gonna get rid of me?” she asked.

“What? No, of course not! Why on earth would you think that?” May sounded horrified, and Skye was worried she’d made her mad.

“Because I pooped my pants, like a _baby_ , and I’m not a field agent anymore, and I’m no good at being a grown-up…I’m so bad…” Once she’d started, she couldn’t stop talking, and she felt vulnerable and exposed, and she just wanted to be changed and nurse and cuddle with Mommy. That was the only way she’d feel safe.

That doesn’t make you _bad_.” Mommy explained, taking Skye by the shoulders and looking into her eyes, like she was saying something extremely important and wanted to make sure she was listening.

Skye blinked. “It doesn’t?”

“No. It just means you’re littler than usual. You’re not a field agent, because you aren’t taking care of yourself properly, and you need some time off to rest. That has nothing to do with you being bad. And, Skye, I’m never getting rid of you. Never. I don’t care if you decide to stop using the toilet altogether, or if you never use another diaper for as long as you live. I love you, Skye, and something a silly as a poopy diaper isn’t going to change that.”

Skye felt better. She’d been so worried that Mommy was going to leave her, and she was way too little to be on her own. Looking after herself was so _hard_ and she wasn’t ready to be grown-up, and Ward was still out there, and nowhere was safe except for here, with Mommy.

“Come on baby girl. We need to get you clean.”

Skye nodded and sucked her thumb. She felt way too little to make any decisions on her own; she just wanted to do what Mommy told her. She could listen. She could be good. She was with Mommy, and that was the safest place in the whole wide world.

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's never a bad time for good news.

[JEMMA]

Jemma woke up tangled in the covers on May’s bed. She felt a little better; a nap had helped, she really did feel a lot more relaxed. She hugged Ben Bunny closer, fiddling with his careworn ears—she wasn’t quite ready to get up yet. She rolled over onto her back, content to just suck her dummy and lie in bed for a little while longer, only to realize that her dummy must’ve fallen out while she was sleeping.

A quiet, distressed sound escaped her. She really wanted her dummy, it was hard to completely relax without it. She realized then that she had to pee. The need wasn’t too urgent, but it was enough to make her just a little squirmy; she thought about using her pull-up—and felt her cheeks get warm. She wasn’t ready to get up yet, and she knew May wouldn’t be cross with her, and sometimes, privately, she thought that a wet pull-up or a wet diaper really wasn’t all that bad, but it was still embarrassing to think about using them.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” May’s voice. A hand rubbed her tummy gently, and she felt herself relax a little more. The hand was gone before she could really appreciate the tummy rub—they did feel good after all—but then her dummy slid between her teeth and she felt better.

Jemma blinked and rolled over onto her side, opening her eyes just long enough to spot May’s thigh before resting her cheek on it and closing her eyes again. She felt so safe when she was close to Mommy…

“Is she sleepin’?” That was definitely Skye, and she sounded a little too mischievous for Jemma’s liking. The skin on her back warmed a little through her shirt, and Skye’s breath tickled Jemma’s face. It smelled like chocolate milk, and that made Jemma a little jealous, because she hadn’t had chocolate milk in ages, and it was probably her favorite drink after tea.

She felt a little more playful than she normally did in the mornings, and she thought a little payback would be in order—Skye was forever trying to tickle her, or otherwise play with her, and it usually came at time when she was least expecting it. Fortunately, it was only when they were little, and since she normally wore pull-ups—or diapers more recently,—when she was little, she hadn’t had to deal with any embarrassing accidents when Skye ambushed her.

Skye poked her gently in the back, just above the waistband of her pull-up, and Jemma rolled over as fast as she could.

“Boo!” She said, smiling a little.

Skye yelped and jumped backwards, clearly startled, if her ragged breathing was anything to go by. She was kind of adorable, standing there in just her t-shirt and nappy—Jemma thought she looked cuter without pants sometimes, especially when she was this little.

“Hey!” Skye’s voice was somewhere between indignant and amused, whiny definitely, and she sniffled a little, but Jemma couldn’t tell if she was genuinely scared, or if she was just irritated that she’d been beaten at her own game. “You’re mean,”

Jemma knew Skye didn’t mean it, and if she was being honest with herself, it was quite nice to be on the dealing end of the teasing for once. It was fun. She felt May’s thigh tremble a little as she chuckled.

“Don’t pout, Skye,” May admonished. “You do it to Jemma all the time.”

Skye made a face. She clearly disagreed, but she didn’t argue. Her eyes glinted with a dangerous kind of mirth, and Jemma wondered belatedly if this was what people meant when they said not to poke the bear.

Jemma swallowed. Even when she wasn’t Agent Skye—who was pretty intimidating, to be sure—Skye was still faster than her, and she didn’t have anywhere to go whilst she was on the bed. She didn’t like her odds very much, and she crawled into Mommy’s lap.

“Save me,” she said quietly, curling up small so she fit in Mommy’s arms.

Mommy stroked her nose and kissed her cheek. “I don’t know, little girl. I think we should let Skye tickle you…”

“No…” Jemma whined, snuggling closer. “Don’t tickle me…”

“I don’t know, baby, I think you need it. Laughing is good for you.”

Jemma squirmed. She still had to pee, and she didn’t know if she could hold if May tickled her. However, that was as much warning as she got, because Skye was suddenly behind her, fingers dancing over her sides and up under her arms, and no matter how much she squirmed, she couldn’t get away.

She quickly gave up on escaping, and decided to get revenge instead, rolling out of May’s lap and tickling Skye in return. It wasn’t long before both of them were reduced to a giggling, tangled heap on the bed, smiling, and happy, and just a little sweaty.

Jemma realized her pull-up was wet and she flushed a little.

May reached over and patted her butt. “Do you need to be changed?” she asked.

Jemma wondered how she knew—and then she realized that Skye’s diaper was fully exposed—and wet—and she supposed that it really wasn’t that unreasonable for May to conclude that she’d be wet because Skye was. Her bladder control had never been anything to laugh at, but she did have a tendency to occasionally cut things a little too close for comfort where using the loo was concerned. She’d never had any accidents while she was big, but she’d noticed that May and Phil had both been reminding her to use the toilet a little more frequently in the past few weeks.

It really wasn’t all that surprising that they could tell when she needed to pee; May seemed to have a sixth sense for it, and Phil had got plenty of practice from looking after Skye. Still, she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about the fact that she was little enough for May to come to that conclusion without her having to say anything about it. It was nice, she supposed, not having to admit that she was wet, because that was always embarrassing. She felt a little self-conscious about May knowing, but it wasn’t nearly as mortifying as it had once been. Jemma knew she’d have to get changed eventually, but it really didn’t seem all that pressing, and she felt safe and calm, here with Skye and Mommy.

Jemma shook her head. “It’s okay. I can wait.” She said.

If May was surprised, she didn’t show it. She patted Jemma’s pull-up gently. “Alright. But we can’t wait too long, otherwise you’ll get a rash.”

“Rashes hurt, Mommy.” Skye said, shifting uncomfortably.

May reached over and smoothed her bangs out of her face. “I know they do, baby. That’s why you need to tell us when you need to be changed. That’s also why you’re not wearing pants for a while; I think you’re too little to remember right now, that’s why your rash got to be so bad.”

Skye didn’t seem upset by the reminder, she just nodded.

Just then, Phil walked into the room with Leo.

Leo looked like he’d just come from the gym. His shirt was damp with sweat, and his earphones hung out from his shirt collar. He’d always been wiry, thin, and lean, but he looked different now. His shoulders were wider, his arms a little bigger—not like Ward; Jemma shuddered at the name—but he’d clearly been making use of the exercise equipment on the bus.

Jemma felt embarrassed. She didn’t want Leo to know she was wet, but she was sure that he did somehow. She curled up against the headboard; Skye crawled over her and into May’s lap.

Leo moved closer and sat next to Jemma on the bed. There wasn’t quite enough room for him, and he was more leaning into her than sitting on the bed. She was suddenly very nervous. He was so close and she was wet and she never quite knew what to expect from him when she was little. Sometimes he was gentle and kind and safe, and other times he was cross and abrasive and a little mean, and that scared her. She felt around on the bed for her dummy; she felt a little more calm when she popped it back into her mouth.

Leo shifted, and then lifted her up so she was sitting in his lap, rather than pushing him off the bed.

Jemma let out a surprised squeak, mostly because he’d never been strong enough to lift her bodily like that before, but also because she was wet, and now that she was sitting on him, she was sure that he knew, and that was mortifying. She felt her cheeks get hot and she ducked her head so she didn’t have to look at him.

Leo rubbed her back gently, carefully, like he was afraid he would break her. “It’s alright,” he said quietly, privately, just to her. “I’m not going to bite you. Relax.”

Jemma wasn’t sure how she felt about listening to him. She was a grown woman, and they were the same age, and they were best friends, partners, equals, she didn’t have to listen to him if she didn’t want to. She could make her own decisions.

But, she didn’t feel grown up, especially not now, sitting in his lap in wet pants. He was warm, and gentle and he felt safe, maybe not as safe as Phil, or May, but almost the same. He smelled nice too, not sour, like she would’ve expected him to after a workout—a little like Phil’s aftershave. It was nice.

She settled against him, hoping he wouldn’t say anything about her pull-up. If he’d noticed, he hadn’t mentioned anything yet, and she was grateful for that.

Phil seemed to be waiting for everyone’s attention. Jemma kind of wanted to play with the earbuds hanging out of Leo’s shirt, but she was trying to be good, and polite and respectful, and also, she didn’t want to upset him. And anyway, she wanted to hear what Phil had to say.

Phil leaned against the wall in front of May’s bed, probably so everyone could see him.

May was smiling, about what, Jemma couldn’t begin to guess. It was a little surreal, as she didn’t smile often.

“I think we can all agree that we’ve had a pretty tough time these last few months,” he began, looking at everyone. “May and I have been talking about it, and we agree that you all deserve some down time. So, we’ve decided that we’re going to go on vacation; Bobbi and Hunter are more than capable of handling things while we’re away. We haven’t decided where to go yet, because we wanted to know where you guys wanted to go the most. You don’t have to answer now, just take some time to think about it, and we’ll talk about it tomorrow morning.”

“Yay!” Skye looked positively ecstatic, and she leapt off the bed to hug Phil.

Jemma felt a little left out, so she climbed carefully out of Leo’s lap and joined them. Leo and May weren’t far behind.

 

It was nice, Jemma reflected, after everything they’d been through, to have some _good_ news for a change.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being scared is no fun. Fortunately, Phil and May know just how to make the kids feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains nursing [No lactation]

[LEO]

He’d been wrong.

Down there, in the deep, trapped in that place with her. They’d been running out of air and ideas, and hope, and it seemed more and more likely that the pod would become their tomb.

_“Drowning’s supposed to be quite pleasant in the end, apparently. Once the water fills up your lungs…”_

_And Jemma had just stared at him, and her eyes had flashed with the most primal kind of panic he’d ever seen in his life, and he’d felt like an imbecile for not paying more attention to the words coming out of his mouth._

_And then, she’d schooled her expression into something resembling the same exasperation she’d shown when he brought up the fact that she’d left a dead cat’s liver next to his lunch—which was, by all accounts, a traumatizing experience—or when he went off on a random tangent about monkeys._

_“I mean after.”_

He’d known it was going to be bad, but the force with which the water had rushed in had felt like being hit by a freight train. The air exploded out of him, and he had time to hear himself wheeze before he went under, and even though he’d known it was futile, his body had screamed at him to _breathe_ , and sucked in a breath.

Except there hadn’t been any air, and as much as he would have liked to imagine that he would have been dignified and composed at the end, he’d panicked, and sucked in more water, and the whole experience really was excruciatingly painful.

For a moment, he supposed, it had been peaceful, in the few seconds before he’d lost consciousness. Jemma’d used the rigged air supply, just like he’d intended, and in the last instant, he could have sworn she’d reached for him.

_No!_ He’d thought. _Save yourself! You’ll never make it to the surface if you try to take me with you!_

But, obviously, he’d been wrong. And, Jemma Simmons, as his ten years of friendship with her had proven, was nothing if not stubborn, and as the saying went: _Where there’s a will, there’s away._ And Jemma had found it.

God, he loved her. He knew that with every fiber of his being. And while she hadn’t responded to his almost-confession as of yet, he wasn’t going to push her—mostly out of respect, because that was a terrifying experience the first time through, and he refused to be responsible for her reliving the ordeal by asking about it. But also, he was terrified that his feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated.

But, even if they weren’t he vowed that he would keep her safe until she found someone who could do a better job of it than he came along.

It made him glad that she’d become more comfortable with being little in recent weeks; while it made him feel supremely awkward at first, he was glad she’d found something to cling to, something that made her feel safe.

Even Leo himself didn’t mind indulging his more youthful side—though wearing any kind of diaper, pull-up, or other protective garment was out of the question. And sometimes, though he found it frustrating, the youthful part of him would surface without his permission.

Like he felt now.

He stared at the shower, trying to quell his shaking and calm his racing heart. This happened sometimes.

_Pull yourself together._ He commanded himself. _It’s just a shower. You’ll be in full control the whole time. You’re being ridiculous. You won’t even be fully submerged, just wet._

But even as he fought to maintain his composure and keep calm, he was slowly backing out of the bathroom, and into the hallway—where he ran right into Phil.

“Leo? Is everything alright?” Phil’s voice was calm, gentle, like he was talking to a wild animal that he might spook if he wasn’t careful.

“I’m…I…” Leo came up short again. He frowned. “I’m fine.” He decided finally. “I was just going to shower…” He tried to hide his hands in his pockets so Phil wouldn’t be able to tell that they were shaking.

Phil put a hand on his shoulder, warm and solid and stable, and it was only then that Leo realized that his entire body was shaking, not just his hands.

“Is it the water?” Phil asked, gentle, and quiet.

Leo nodded before he could stop himself. “I feel so stupid.” He admitted, and stared at the floor. He was a grown man, at twenty-seven. He should be perfectly capable of showering on his own. Problem was, he didn’t feel that way.

Every day it was a struggle. He’d taken to having military showers: rinse, turn the water off, soap up and wash, turn the water on, rinse, done. The entire process took about two minutes, and it was never enough time for the water to get hot, so he was mostly cold, and a little miserable afterwards, but at least he was clean.

Today, however, he couldn’t even bring himself to do that. Every time he even considered turning the water on, he was back in the pod, at the bottom of the ocean and the water was driving the air from his lungs. And he knew that once he turned the water on, it would only be a matter of time before he either threw up from the stress, or passed out—and the shower was hardly a safe place for that to happen.

Phil squeezed his shoulder gently, bringing him back to the here and now. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Leo. After what you’ve been through, it’s perfectly reasonable for you to be uncomfortable around water.”

He hadn’t said _afraid_ , and for that Leo was grateful—it was bad enough that he felt like he was crumbling in on himself, it kept him from feeling worse about himself than he already did.

“If I were in your position, I’d be taking sponge-baths.” Phil said conspiratorially, with a smile, and Leo allowed himself a small chuckle. “How have you been managing so far?”

“Military showers. Standard duration, no excess water.” Leo said, and he meant to sound confident, but it came out forlorn and lost-sounding instead.

“That doesn’t sound very relaxing.” Phil said.

“It’s not.” Leo agreed. “It’s easier not to panic then.”

Phil sighed quietly. “Why didn’t you say something before?” he wondered, and he sounded genuinely concerned.

“I can…I can handle it.”

“I know you can. But you don’t have to do it alone. Would you feel more comfortable if I stayed with you? I know you don’t need help washing or anything, but sometimes, having another person there helps.”

Leo nodded, without giving himself time to really think about it. As embarrassing as it was, he really _would_ feel better with Phil in the room. “Okay…thanks.”

“No problem, champ. Anytime.”

Leo smiled a little at the nickname—his own father had died when he was small, and he’d never had any of the father-son interactions that seemed to be so common with everyone else.

Leo turned on the water, flinching at the sound of it spattering against the tiles in the shower.

“It’s alright,” Phil said calmly, his hand on Leo’s shoulder again. “I’m right here. You’re safe. Nothing bad will happen to you here; I won’t let it.”

Part of Leo was offended; he didn’t need to be mollycoddled. But a much bigger part of him was relieved, and very grateful for Phil’s comforting words.

Phil busied himself getting a clean towel from the cupboard under the sink while Leo undressed and climbed into the shower.

The hot water felt heavenly against his skin, soothing away the aches and pains of them day, helping him to relax a little, for once. He’d forgotten what he’d been missing out on. He took his time washing. Phil was there, and Leo knew that he wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

Phil handed Leo his towel through the shower curtain—Leo felt better about the whole affair since Phil hadn’t seen him naked: that would’ve been awkward.

“Do you want some milk and cookies?” Leo asked.

Director Coulson’s penchant for late night sweets was well-known amongst the team, and Leo himself was prone to the occasional midnight craving, but this was the first time Phil had invited him to share in his indulgences.

Leo felt warm inside, like he was valued, like his company was finally good for something other than his engineering expertise, and he didn’t get that feeling nearly as often as he’d’ve liked. He smiled, swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat and said: “I’d like that.”

Phil smiled. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen after you’ve changed” He headed for the door, then paused. “Oh, and Leo?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t tell May and the girls about this, okay? It’s not really a secret, but Jemma and Skye really need their sleep, and I don’t want them to feel left out. And May’s been after me to ‘set a good example for the kids’ by not eating so much junk food. Think you can handle that?”

Leo felt a small glimmer of something that felt a lot like paternal bonds beginning to form, but he kept that to himself. “No problem. Mum’s the word.”

“Thanks, slugger.” Phil said, and disappeared into the hall.

Leo smiled to himself, and went to change clothes. He felt more calm and at peace than he could remember feeling for a long time. He knew it wouldn’t last forever, but for now, he was just going to enjoy the moment.

 

[SKYE]

The Dark.

Tripp. Shattered.

The Obelisk.

Terragenesis…

_What have I become_?

Skye jerked awake with a whimper.

It was all her fault. If she’d just shot Calvin—she didn’t think she’d ever be able to think of him as her _father._ He was, biologically, but he was also a psychopath and a monster and a murderer, and it scared her that she shared genes with the man.

If she had just shot him, like a good agent, like she’d been trained to do, Tripp would still be alive, and she wouldn’t be a…a freak.

But she hadn’t, and now more people were dead because of her.

She sucked her thumb, trying to muffle the sound of her crying, but the next thing she knew, May was stirring awake, and she felt even worse.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She murmured.

May sat up and pulled her close. Skye climbed into her lap, pressing her face into May’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong, baby? Did you have a bad dream?”

Skye honestly couldn’t remember. She just felt awful, and she was way too little to try and sort out her feelings. She just wanted Mommy. Mommy could make it better—she always knew what to do.

“I’m so bad…” Skye mumbled, and her stomach clenched, making her sob even harder. She thought she was going to be sick.

“You’re not bad sweetheart. You’re not.” May soothed, rubbing Skye’s back under her shirt. It helped a little.

“I should have killed him. I should have killed my fa-- _Calvin_ and Tripp would still be alive. And I wouldn’t be a monster.”

“You’re not a monster Skye. And no one blames you for what happened to Tripp. It wasn’t your fault. None of it was.” May pulled back and wiped Skye’s tears away with her thumbs. “And as far as your father is concerned: no amount of training will prepare you for something like that. And honestly, I’d be much more worried about you if you _had_ killed him—I don’t think you would be able to live with yourself.”

“But I’m a field agent. That’s what I’m _supposed_ to do!” Skye bawled, clenching her fists. She felt around on the bed for her blanket, and held on tight when she found it.

“Skye, baby, I want you to listen to me. Okay? Can you do that?” May’s voice was calm, gentle, and firm.

Skye nodded. She could listen; she could be good.

“You’re an amazing agent, Skye, especially considering that you haven’t been training with me for very long. But, you’re not the only field agent we have, Skye. Your father will be brought to justice, but that’s not on you. It wouldn’t be right to ask you to do that. Right now, I just want you to relax, okay? Think about where you want to go on vacation; you’ve had a tough couple weeks, and the last thing you need is to get yourself all worked up.”

Skye sniffled and leaned against Mommy. She tried to calm down. She didn’t feel big enough to do anything except what Mommy told her to do.

Mommy patted her butt, and the she realized her diaper was wet.

“Let’s get you changed, baby, and then you can nurse until you fall asleep again. Does that sound okay?”

Skye nodded. That did sound nice.

Mommy pulled a new diaper, wipes, powder, and rash cream from a drawer in her dresser and Skye laid back on the bed.

“I love you, Skye. And Daddy loves you, and Jemma loves you, and Leo loves you. No matter what. You’re not a monster. You might be different now, but you’re not a bad person. You’re a wonderful person, and I’m glad to be part of your life. And nothing you do will ever change that.”

“I love you too, Mommy.” Skye answered, and put her thumb in her mouth. She did feel a little better, like maybe she’d cried all her stress out. It was so much easier to be little than big; she didn’t have to worry about anything at all, Mommy and Daddy would take care of her, and her family would love her no matter what.

And then, she thought of something else.

“Mommy? Do I gotta be big on ‘acation?”

Mommy kissed her forehead. “Not if you don’t want to be.”

Skye snuggled closer, curling up small so Mommy could hold her. “I don’t wanna.” She admitted. Being big was hard. There were too many feelings to sort through and a lot of responsibility, and she didn’t want to worry about anything while she was on vacation.

“That’s okay. I have a surprise for you then, when we get going. I think you’ll really like it.”

Skye beamed. “A s’prise? Oooh! What is it?”

Mommy kissed her nose. “Silly girl, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now would it?”

Skye pouted. It didn’t usually work on Mommy, but it was worth a shot. “But, I wanna know! _Please_?”

“You’ll just have to be patient. Do you still want to nurse?”

Skye nodded. It had been forever since she’d nurse, and she missed it lots and lots, almost as much as she’d missed her blanket.

“Alright. Come here, baby girl.” May adjusted her shirt to give Skye access to her breast, and Skye latched on and started suckling.

Skye closed her eyes. She was dry, and Mommy was close and she was safe. She felt little and vulnerable, but she knew nothing bad could happen when Mommy was with her.

Before she knew it, she was asleep.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares are no fun. Luckily, May and Coulson know how to chase the bad dreams away.

****

[JEMMA]

It all happened in an instant, and at the same time, so slowly that it was infuriating that she could do nothing to stop it.

_Fitz’s hand slammed down toward the button, and she was screaming so hard that her throat felt raw._

“ _No!_ ” _They had to find another way. One that would save them both._

_But it was too late. The water was rushing in, hard and fast, Jemma could see that much; the way the water frothed as it poured in through the opening left no doubt as to its power._

_It slammed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs—thank goodness for Fitz’s emergency oxygen rig. It forced a breath into her lungs, just as he’d said it would, but she couldn’t move._

_Fitz drifted past, pale and lifeless._

_She fought with all her might and finally surged forward to grab him, her lungs already burning. She hauled him out through the window, trying desperately to make up for lost time—they’d been under for too long already, she could feel the truth of it in her bones._

_And then, she saw them._

_May, and Coulson, and Skye. All of them there, all of them floating as limp and lifeless as Fitz._

_She couldn’t save them all; but she couldn’t choose. She loved them all so much, and no amount of training would have prepared her for_ this _. And then, Ward was there too, clad safely in a diving suit._

_“Help!” Jemma shouted. “I can’t save them all.”_

_“Sorry,” Ward said, and he sounded genuinely remorseful._

_“I know you care about us, Ward!” Jemma echoed Fitz’s words._

_Ward nodded sadly. “I do. It’s a weakness. One I’m trying to overcome. So, I’m sorry. I can’t help you. You’ll have to choose. The brain can only survive for four minutes without oxygen. Coulson, May, and Skye have been down here for three minutes and fifteen seconds, and you’re about another thirty seconds from the surface. If you hurry, you might be able to save one of them. But you have to let go of Fitz.”_

_Jemma was crying. “I can’t! Please don’t make me choose. You can help me, we can save everyone if we work together!”_

_“Better make a decision fast, Simmons. You’re running out of time.”_

_“Don’t do this!” Jemma begged, pleading with every fiber of her being that there was still something good left in Ward._

_Ward smiled, a grim, murderous, predatory thing. “Hail HYDRA,” he said, and swam away._

Jemma awoke screaming. She tried to muffle the noise with her pillow, but the damage had already been done.

She was alone and terrified and wet—and that only scared her more, because she’d never wet the bed in her life, not even as a child. Her pull-up had leaked badly, so she was wet and the bed was wet and after that dream, she couldn’t handle being wet. It was all too much.

“Help!” She cried. She felt around frantically on the bed for her dummy, but it had fallen on the wet part of the bed, so she couldn’t suck it, and that just made her cry harder. There were more dummies in the bag on top of her desk, but that was all the way on the other side of the room, and she felt way too little to get out of bed by herself.

Coulson came into the room then, and before she knew what was happening, he was pulling her into his lap. He was warm and safe, rock-solid, and Jemma knew that as long as he held her, nothing bad would happen.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ve got you.” He said gently. “Oh, baby, you’re shaking…Are you sick?”

Jemma shook her head, but she couldn’t talk; all her words had disappeared, swallowed up by her fear.

“Bad dreams?” Coulson guessed, and she nodded. “It’s alright, Jemma, you’re safe. It’s all over, it was only a dream.”

Jemma couldn’t breathe. The thought of Coulson, of May, of Skye, and Fitz all floating there was too much. She was wet and there was more water trickling over her from somewhere, and she was terrified. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to get enough air—she already felt lightheaded and dizzy, and she didn’t want to think about what would happen if she passed out.

Coulson turned her away from him gently, so she was sitting with her back to his chest. “Jemma, baby, I need you to breathe, okay? Feel this?” he asked, and he took a slow, deliberate breath.

Jemma couldn’t talk, but she nodded.

“Breathe like me, honey,” Coulson said, holding on to her tightly enough that she felt safe, but not so tight as to restrict her breathing. “That’s it, good girl.”

Jemma felt a little better when he said that—she liked being good. But then, she felt the warm wetness cooling on her legs, and she realized that she’d wet herself again.

“I’m sorry,” she choked out, realizing that she must have got him wet, too, and she felt awful about it. She was so bad… “I didn’t mean to...”

Coulson rubbed her back, gentle and kind and soothing. “It’s okay. We can clean it up. It’s alright.”

Jemma just clung to him, her hands fisting in his shirt. She couldn’t bear to lose him, to lose any of them. They were too important, and the number of people who cared about her in the world seemed to be steadily shrinking—she wasn’t about to let her family go too.

“Don’t leave me…please…I don’t want to be alone.” She pleaded.

Coulson leaned down and kissed the top of her head before gently easing her back far enough that she could look at him; Jemma couldn’t bring herself to let go of his shirt, it was too scary.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby girl. Not me. Not by choice. Ever.” He said, and Jemma felt better.

Jemma just held on tight and let him rock her and rock her and rock her. She really wanted her dummy, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask for it, so she nibbled on her thumb. It helped. Sort of.

“Is everything okay in here?” May paused in the doorway to Jemma’s room, and she thought: _Mommy_.

“Jemma had a nightmare,” Phil supplied.

“Poor baby,” May’s voice was almost a coo, and Jemma felt so little. She made an embarrassing mewling noise in the back of her throat and reached for May.

May flipped on the light, and the sudden brightness made Jemma want to cry all over again.

“Mommy…” Jemma said, speaking for the first time. May’s expression was tender, she knelt by the bed and brushed some hair out of Jemma’s face.

“Mommy’s right here, baby. It’s okay.” May kissed her forehead. “Do you want to get cleaned up, little one? I think that might help you feel better.”

“I’m sorry,” Jemma said again, and stared at her lap, twisting the hem of her shirt anxiously.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, baby. You didn’t do anything wrong. You just had an accident, it’s okay. “

Jemma sniffled. May’s kind reassurances did make her feel better, but that didn’t change the fact that she was twenty-seven, and this was just now happening for the first time in her life. It was more than a little unsettling, to say the least.

“I’ve never wet the bed in my life…” Jemma admitted quietly.

“You’re also under more stress than anyone should have to be, especially at your age. Give yourself a break.”

Jemma nodded.

“Are you ready to go get washed up? Phil can put fresh sheets on the bed while we get you sorted out.”

Jemma nodded again; it would feel nice to be clean. “Can I have my dummy first?”

May nodded and held out her hand.

Jemma took it, and she felt a little safer—Mommy would protect her. She felt much better when Mommy handed her her dummy, she popped it into her mouth straight away, and allowed herself to be led down the hallway to the bathroom.

However, once the bathtub had been filled and Mommy had undressed her she found that she couldn’t get in. She sucked her dummy furiously, trying to gather her courage and avoid triggering another flashback all over again.

She was trembling and sweating terribly, and for an awful moment, she thought she would be sick.

“Are you alright?” May asked.

“I’m scared.” Jemma said, honestly. She wanted to elaborate, but the words wouldn’t come to her.

“Do you want me to get in with you?”

Jemma nodded. She’d feel much safer with Mommy there. “Can we be fast? I don’t like the water.” She admitted.

“I’ll be as quick as I can.” May answered.

Jemma was very grateful for May’s offer—as soon as she touched the water, she froze. The temperature was just right, but all she could thing about was the bathtub overflowing and filling the bathroom, just like in the pod. She knew it was a completely irrational fear, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying.

May got in the tub first, almost as though she sensed Jemma’s terror. “See, baby, it’s okay. We’re safe.”

Jemma got in before she could lose her nerve, and sat down slowly. May sat down behind her and pulled her close; she was trembling again, and the contact made her feel much safer.

“I’m right here, okay baby? You’re safe. Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise.”

Jemma took a deep breath and tried to relax. She focused on sucking her dummy, and that helped a little.

True to her word, May helped her wash quickly and efficiently, and she was able to get out before she had time to really panic.

May wrapped her in a warm, fluffy towel, and led her to her bedroom. Skye was already there, sleeping peacefully, sucking her thumb.

Jemma sat down on the bed. She took a deep breath, gathering her courage before speaking. “Mommy…can I wear a diaper? I don’t want to wake up wet again.” She’d spoken so fast that she wasn’t sure May would be able to understand her, but May didn’t seem to have any trouble.

“I think that’s a good idea, I was just about to suggest the same thing. I know that wasn’t an easy thing to ask baby girl, and I am so, so proud of you for asking for help.” May kissed her forehead, before getting a new diaper from Skye’s diaper bag.

Jemma laid back and sucked her dummy while May dusted her with baby powder and secured the tapes on her diaper. It smelled nice, and that made it much easier to relax. However, Jemma realized she’d forgotten something else important.

“I didn’t bring any clothes.” She said.

“That’s okay. I’m sure I have something you can wear.” May said, and took a large shirt out of her dresser. It was black, and it said ‘ _Property of My Family 24/7/365_ ’, and it was a man’s shirt—Phil’s probably.

May helped Jemma into the shirt; it was big on her, but it didn’t quite cover her diaper. That was alright, she was little, she didn’t have to worry about it. It made her very happy to think that Phil thought of her as part of his family.

“Where’s the baby?” May asked while Jemma attempted to find the neck opening in the oversized garment. May finished pulling the shirt over her head. “There she is!” She said quietly, so she didn’t wake Skye, and smiled.

Jemma couldn’t help herself: she giggled. “You’re silly, Mommy,” she said.

“I like seeing you smile, little one.” May kissed her forehead and then held the covers up so she could climb in bed. “Come on, in you go.”

Jemma climbed under the covers and curled up against May. May kissed her temple.

“Goodnight, baby. Sweet dreams. I love you.”

“I love you, too Mommy.” Jemma replied.

There in the quiet room, safe in Mommy’s arms, it didn’t take her long to fall asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing is caring; but sometimes, little ones have trouble with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter than usual, but I thought some insight into the family dynamics of the team would be nice, especially since the little ones are getting more comfortable with being, well, little.

[SKYE]

“It’s _my turn_!” Skye growled stomping her foot, and shoved Leo. Once upon a time, a lifetime or two ago, the push would’ve knocked him flat on his backside.

Unfortunately, Leo’d bulked up considerably since they had first met—even Skye’s best effort was only enough to send him stumbling back a couple steps, and he regained his balance far too quickly.

If she’d been thinking like Agent Skye, she probably could’ve taken him down without an excessive amount of effort; Little Skye, on the other hand, had nothing except the most rudimentary arsenal when it came to physical violence—not that Mommy or Daddy would have been okay with it if they’d seen. At all.

And besides that, a t-shirt and diaper were hardly what anyone would consider appropriate attire for combat.

The thought of getting in trouble was almost enough for her to apologize to Leo on the spot, but he’d had his turn with the TV for _forever_ , and they’d agreed that he would play one more match of his stupid game, and then it would be her turn.

Skye glanced down at her fingers, counting on them to make sure her math was right—she couldn’t be certain, but she was pretty sure he’d taken about a million turns already, and she’d been super, super patient, just like Mommy had asked her to be.

Leo, was being naughty and not sharing like he was supposed to, and it wasn’t fair, and since Mommy and Daddy were busy with breakfast, Skye was just going to have to take matters into her own hands.

She raised her hand to hit him—which definitely was _not_ okay, but she was mad and he was being mean and it wasn’t _fair_ …

Leo caught her hand easily. “Skye,” he said firmly, but gently. “We don’t hit. You know better than that.” He was so calm, and that just made her madder.

Skye ignored him and took a swing with her free hand; he caught that one too. “You’re not the boss of me, stupid.” She sneered.

Leo looked like he wanted to laugh at her, but he schooled his expression quickly. “Skye, that’s enough. Cut it out, or I’m going to tell Phil.”

Skye kicked him in the shin without really thinking about it—she regretted it immediately though; her toe really hurt and tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them.

“Ow!” she yelped, sniffling as she tried to hold back the tears.

“Serves you right,” Leo muttered. “Are you done now? Or do I need to get May?”

“Meanie,” Skye grumbled. And he was; just because he was bigger didn’t mean he could boss her around. She wished Jemma was here, she’d probably take her side, but she was sleeping still, and Mommy said to let her rest.

Maybe she’d had bad dreams. Skye knew about those; they were no fun.

“Last chance, Skye,” Leo said, very calm, very gentle.

“Butt-head. You can’t tell me what to do!” Skye folded her arms. Mommy did that sometimes when she was upset, and it always scared Skye a little bit, because it always meant she was about to be in trouble, but Leo didn’t even seem a little bit scared.

That was probably because he was a big kid, almost a grown-up, and she bet he wasn’t scared of anything. So, she stuck her tongue out at him, so he’d know she was serious.

“Honestly?” Leo’s voice was a mix of irritation and amusement—he sounded like Daddy when she did something naughty, but Daddy thought it was funny. He looked at her, and he seemed like he was holding back a smile, then he turned on his heel and left.

Skye flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. Finally, some peace and quiet. She sucked her thumb and rubbed the satin edge of her blanket against her cheek. After a little bit, she wet her diaper; her rash had mostly gone away by now, so she wasn’t in that big of a hurry to get changed.

Mommy came into the room after a few minutes, and Skye got a funny feeling in her tummy. She didn’t look upset, but it was hard to tell sometimes.

“Give me the remote please,” Mommy said firmly, holding out her hand, and Skye reluctantly handed it over, pouting.

It wasn’t fair. She hadn’t even gotten to finish her show! She huffed and folded her arms. Stupid Leo. Stupid tattle-tale.

“Drop the attitude, young lady, you’re in enough hot water as it is.” Mommy said, and Skye could tell she was upset. She didn’t seem like she was _mad_ , but the expression on her face definitely wasn’t a happy one.

“I don’ have a ‘tude.” Skye responded.

Mommy turned off the TV and sat down on the couch across from Skye. “What do you have to say for yourself?” her voice was firm.

Skye knew she was talking about the fight she and Leo’d had over the TV. “Leo didn’t share. I was a good girl, and I was super-duper patient, just like you said, but he didn’t share!”

“I see,” Mommy’s voice was neutral and calm, and Skye wondered if she was in trouble. “And what do you think you should do when that happens? Because I know for sure that hitting, kicking, and name-calling are not okay.”

Skye felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks. “But, I was good! Leo broke the rules first! He din’ share, and then I gotted mad, and—“

Mommy kissed her forehead, gentle and kind, but her expression was still firm when she pulled away. “No one is saying you’re a bad person, baby girl, but I think you know that it’s not okay to hit, kick, push, or call someone a mean name because they didn’t do what you want. I know that sometimes it seems like Leo isn’t sharing, but he’s awfully patient with you and Jemma when you two want a turn with the TV.”

Skye let out a small, angry sob and slammed her fists down on the couch cushions. Why wasn’t anyone listening to her? She was _good_ , she had done just what Mommy had asked her to do, and now she was in trouble. It wasn’t fair!

She drove her heels into the couch too—she was too full of emotions, and this was the only way she could think of to let them out. It hurt a little, the front of the couch wasn’t as soft, but she felt way too little to cope with her emotions any other way.

“Skye, I know you’re upset, but it’s not okay to throw a tantrum when you don’t get your way.” May said calmly, firmly. “I’m giving you until the count of three to calm yourself down, and if you’re not done by then, you’ll be sitting in time-out until you’re ready to use your words.”

Skye ignored her, and before she could really process what was happening, she found herself being led into the kitchen and placed in a chair in the corner.

Mommy kissed her forehead again. “It’s okay to be upset Skye, but it’s not okay to be mean. I want you to sit here for three minutes and think about why what you did was wrong, and what you could do differently next time. I love you, baby; I’ll be right back.”

After what felt like forever May came back and told her she could come out.

Skye lunged out of the chair an held on to Mommy tight. “I’m sorry I was bad,” She said.

“You’re not bad, Skye. One instance of misbehavior doesn’t make you a bad person. That being said, there are some consequences for your actions: I want you to go apologize to Leo, and there will be no TV for the rest of the day.” Mommy said.

Skye sucked her thumb a little, and wet her diaper some more without thinking about it. She knew she should probably ask to be changed, but she didn’t. She just sucked her thumb and pretended not to notice. “Okay, Mommy.”

Skye got ou and shuffled over to Leo’s side. She stared at the floor, wiggling her toes as she tried to gather her courage.

“I’m sorry I was mean to you, Leo.” She said quietly. She felt very little, and she was afraid that he’d be mad at her.

“It’s okay, Skye. I’m not mad. Just don’t do it again, yeah?”

Skye nodded, and was pleasantly surprised when Leo pulled her in for a hug.

“Come on, baby, it’s just about naptime.” Mommy said. She paused to check Skye’s diaper and gave her a soft pat on the butt. “Let’s go get you changed, and I’ll read you a story.”

Skye almost whined, but she didn’t want Mommy to be mad at her. And she _was_ kind of tired…

Besides, Mommy’s bedtime stories were the best.


	10. Chapter 10

[SKYE]

 

The view was beautiful.

The house was tucked away in a dense forest, far away from civilization in upstate Pennsylvania; the backyard overlooked a lake.

Skye was excited to find out why Mommy and Daddy had brought them here, and she was relieved that it was so far away from people. She hadn’t caused a quake or tremor in three months, but the possibility was always with her, so she was grateful that there was no one around that she could hurt—she’d never caused any when she was just with her family.

“What is this place?” Jemma wondered from her place beside Skye, holding tight to Daddy’s hand.

“Home,” Daddy said and smiled. “Do you want to see your rooms?”

Skye nodded “Yes!” And Mommy led her by the hand into the house. They passed through the kitchen, which had all the best appliances, and beautiful cherry wood floors, on the way to Skye’s room.

“Close your eyes,” Mommy told her, and she did. She let herself be pulled into the room, and she heard the door click shut behind her.

“Okay, you can open them now.”

Skye gasped.

Her room was beautiful. There was an enormous stuffed bear in one corner, and it was big enough that Skye wondered how in the world they’d managed to fit it in to begin with. There was an adult sized changing table in along the wall to Skye’s right, already stocked with supplies, and there was a basket of storybooks and small toys on the floor next to it. The bed was crowded with stuffed animals, and it was tucked into the corner, and that made Skye very happy, because she liked to sleep in small, cozy places, and there were plenty of stuffed animals to cuddle with.

There was a nightlight plugged into the outlet by the bed, and Skye could tell by looking at it that it was identical to the one in Mommy’s bedroom on the bus. She wandered over to the closet and opened it carefully. Inside, there were too many outfits to count, all of them brightly colored and juvenile, along with a few footed sleepers, and Skye was thrilled at that, because she hadn’t known it was possible to get them in her size.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized how much thought Mommy and Daddy must have put into this, into designing a space that was perfect for her, where she could be Little, and didn’t have to worry about anything.

“Don’t you like it? We can change it if you—“ May began, but Skye hugged her, interrupting her statement.

“It’s perfect.” Skye said quietly. “I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve never had my own room before, and this is everything I could have wanted.”

Mommy held her tight and stroked her hair. “I’m glad you like it, baby girl. You said you didn’t want to be big on vacation, so I thought you might like a place just for you where you could be little all you wanted.”

Skye didn’t know what to say, so she just hugged Mommy tighter and hoped she understood.

Mommy reached down and checked her diaper; Skye knew she was wet, but her diaper wasn’t her responsibility.

“I think it’s time for a change, baby,” Mommy motioned to the changing table. “Climb up.”

Skye clambered up onto the changing table, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was nice and soft; she probably could’ve fallen asleep if she hadn’t already had her nap. Even after Mommy had finished changing her, she stayed on the table for a minute, just because it was comfy.

“Um, am I interrupting?” Jemma wondered quietly, staring at the floor and playing with the hem of her shirt; Skye wondered why she seemed embarrassed—it wasn’t like Jemma’d never seen her getting changed before.

“No,” Mommy said. “I was just changing the baby. Do you like your room?”

Jemma smiled. “It’s beautiful! Thank you so much! Would you like to see my new room, Skye?” She held out her hand.

Skye nodded and climbed down off the changing table allowing Jemma to lead her away, though May wasn’t far behind.

Jemma’s room was similar to her own, colored in soft pastels, with an abundance of stuffed animals on the bed. There was a small garden under the window, packed densely with plants that looked extremely rare to Skye, but her knowledge of plants was spotty at best.

“This is really nice!” Skye said, smiling at Jemma.

“It is,” Jemma agreed. “I wonder what Fitz’s room is like?”

“You can look at Leo’s room later,” Daddy said from the doorway. “Leo’s just had some very sad news, and he said he’d like to be left alone.”

“Does he need a hug?” Skye wondered. Hugs always made her feel better when she was sad, so maybe they would help Leo too.

“You can try and see if he’ll talk to you, but he might not be up to it right now.”

“What happened?” Jemma asked.

“It’s his mother. She’s passed away…”

“Oh, poor Fitz. He’s really going to need support.” Jemma said.

“That’s terrible! He’s going to need lots of hugs and cuddling to feel better,” Skye agreed.

“I agree that he’s going to need a lot of comfort, and you can try to give him some now if you want. But, if he says ‘no’ then you need to respect him and give him space until he’s ready, okay?” Daddy said, gentle, but firm.

Skye nodded. She really hoped that Leo would let them see him—she didn’t like it when he was sad, but sometimes he was stubborn and didn’t want anyone to make him feel better. She reached out and took Jemma’s hand, because she didn’t know if she was brave enough to go and see Leo all by herself, because sometimes he was mean when he was upset, and even though she wanted him to feel better, she didn’t know if she could cope with that.

“Skye?” Jemma’s voice was soft, gentle, almost like she was talking to a wild animal. “I need to talk to you about something before we go in to see Leo, okay sweetheart?”

Skye could tell by the tone of Jemma’s voice that she was big, and she nodded slowly. She sucked her thumb for comfort, because she was really nervous about going to see him.

“I don’t mean to upset you, but try to remember that Leo’s Mum just died, okay? Think about how you would feel if Mommy died.”

Skye was shaking suddenly, and her heart became a block of ice in her chest. She whimpered, tears spilling over onto her cheeks—it was pretty much the most awful thing she could imagine happening.

“It’s okay, you can cry if you need to.” Jemma pulled Skye into a hug, and that helped.

“That’s so scary to think about.” Skye said quietly. “I’d be so sad, and scared, and…I don’t know. That’s just really awful. I don’t want to think about it.”

Jemma rubbed her back soothingly. “That’s alright. I just wanted you to understand how Leo might be feeling. He might say some mean things, but he doesn’t mean them. He’s just very sad, and he’s not thinking like himself.”

Skye sniffled. “’Kay. Will you keep holding my hand? I’m scared.” Skye admitted around her thumb.

“Of course.” Jemma said easily, and gave Skye another quick squeeze before leading her to Leo’s door.

Skye was glad that Jemma knocked; she definitely didn’t feel brave enough to do it, and she didn’t want to upset Leo.

“Come in.” Leo’s voice was quiet, and a little scratchy, and Skye thought that maybe he’d been crying.

Skye surprised herself and let go of Jemma’s hand, and ran to give Leo a hug. She climbed into his lap without really thinking about it and wound her arms around his middle, pressing her face into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so, sorry Leo. If there’s anything you need…”

Leo patted her back gently, and it was soothing, and she felt guilty, because even though he’d just had this awful, terrible thing happen to him, _he_ was comforting _her_.

“Don’t be sorry, Skye.” Leo said. “It’s not your fault. To be honest, this has been coming for a while. It’s sad, but I’ll be okay.”

Skye wiped her eyes, and hugged him again. “I know, but I still feel bad. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help...” Her fingers twisted in her shirt. “I’m not very good at being a grown-up, but I give really good hugs.” She offered, and smiled.

“You do give good hugs,” Leo agreed, and ruffled her hair.

Skye climbed out of his lap. “Sorry if I was squashing you…”

Leo shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m okay.”

Skye didn’t think he was okay, not even a little bit okay, but she didn’t want to argue with him. Jemma was standing in the doorway, and she was looking at him with the same eyes that Mommy and Daddy gave each other when they were together and didn’t think she was watching. But she saw. She knew enough about that look to understand that Jemma and Leo probably wanted to be alone.

“I’ll leave you two be.” Skye said. “Just yell if you need something.”

“We will.” Jemma assured her as she settled on the bed next to Leo, lacing her fingers with his. Skye was glad that Leo had someone to help him through everything.

Skye shuffled back down the hallway, but her room was empty. She wandered around the house for a while, exploring, until she found Mommy and Daddy in their room. They weren’t really doing anything, just laying on the bed, resting. The TV was on, but they didn’t seem particularly interested in what was on the screen.

“Come in Skye,” Daddy said and moved over so there was a space between him and Mommy for her. “Did you get to talk to Leo?”

Skye nodded and sucked her thumb for a moment before answering. “I gave him a big hug, but that was all I could do.” Her eyes burned, and she suddenly felt guilty that she couldn’t have done more for him. “I’m no good at being a grown-up.” She said. “I don’t know how to comfort him like you guys do for me. I only give hugs…”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Skye.” Daddy told her “Sometimes that’s all you can do. People need time to work through their grief. Some people are faster than others, and that’s okay. I’m sure Leo like it when you hug him. I think the best thing you can do is to keep an eye on him; if he looks sad, just give him a hug and let him know that you’re there for him.”

Skye nodded. It seemed like a lot of responsibility and it was a little scary, but Leo was her big brother, and her friend, and her made her feel better when she was upset, so she was sure she could do the same for him.

“Okay, Daddy. I will.”

Daddy pressed a kiss into her hair. “Good girl. Are you wet?”

Skye shrugged, and Mommy checked her diaper. She was used to it by now, and she leaned against Daddy.

“You need a change, Baby girl.” Mommy said. “If you go get me a new diaper from your room, you can pick what we have for supper.”

Skye grinned. “Can we have cake?”

May raised an eyebrow. “Nice try. We can have cake for _dessert_ , but we need to eat something healthy, too.”

“Okay,” Skye replied dejectedly, but she wasn’t really upset. She gave Mommy a hug, and then climbed off the bed to go get a new diaper.

“I love you, Skye.” Mommy called after her.

Skye paused in the doorway so she could blow Mommy a kiss. “I love you too, Mommy.”

 


	11. Chapter 11

[JEMMA]

 

"Leo!" Skye leapt up from the table, fork clattering onto her plate; May reached over to steady her bottle before it toppled over and rolled off the table.

 

Skye's excitement was understandable, Jemma thought. Leo and Phil had been gone for five days so they could take care of final arrangements for Leo's Mum.

 

Jemma knew that really, five days wasn't that long, but it felt like an eternity; she'd missed both of them horribly.

 

Jemma leaned back against May. It was easier, safer somehow, to eat when she was sitting in May or Coulson's lap and they fed her. She'd finished almost half of her food, and she felt full, but she was worried that maybe May would be cross with her for not finishing her food. She hardly ever finished an entire plate in one sitting anymore, unless it was something she really liked, and even then, she felt like she had overindulged when she was finished.

 

She'd really have preferred a bottle of milk, but that was hard to say, embarrassing to admit, even to herself. She sighed.

 

"Are you feeling alright?" May pressed a gentle hand to Jemma's forehead, checking for a fever, she thought. "You've hardly eaten anything."

 

Jemma wriggled a little, uncomfortable. "'M not hungry," she said.

 

This time, it was May who sighed. "I need you to try and eat a little more, kiddo. I know you haven't had much of an appetite lately, but you're going to get sick if you don't eat."

 

"I'm full," Jemma insisted, even though she guessed she could probably eat a little more if she had to.

 

Leo came over then, and knelt down next to the chair where Jemma and May were sitting.

 

Jemma leaned over enough to hug him; and she was glad when May tightened her hold so she didn't fall. She breathed in and realized that Leo smelled like fresh linen and hugs and safety, and for some reason, that made her want to cry.

 

She sniffled, and was upset with herself when she realized that she was crying, hot tears soaking into Leo's shirt. She was such a disappointment...

 

"I missed you," She murmured, and she wished that she had her dummy, but May had said she wasn't allowed to have it at the table, because she almost always ended up sucking on it instead of eating, like she was meant to.

 

"It's alright," Leo said, rubbing her back soothingly. "I'm here now. I don't have to leave again."

 

Jemma felt awful that Leo thought he was the reason she was crying; she was burdening him again, when he'd just lost his Mum...She felt like such a terrible person.

 

Leo pulled away, too soon, but he was smiling. "I've got you a present," he said. He reached into his bag and took out a box of Jemma's favorite tea, and a candy bar that she really liked, both of which were manufactured by small-time companies that didn't sell them internationally.

 

Jemma hugged him again. "Thank you," she told him, and while she was truly thankful, she felt a little bad that he'd gone to all this trouble just for her.

 

"It's no trouble," Leo told her. For a moment, she'd almost forgotten how well he knew her, that he might pick up on her anxiety.

 

May shifted, and reached around her to squeeze Leo's hand. "Welcome home," was all she said, but her voice sounded soft and tender, like a hug.

 

Leo nodded. "Thanks...I'm going to go take a shower, I'm exhausted and I spent the whole flight back sitting next to a large sweaty man who didn't seem to know what a shower was."

 

"Be nice, Leo," Phil said, but Skye was giggling anyway.

 

"I was," Leo responded, grinning cheekily, and then slipped out of the room.

 

"Can I go play?" Skye wondered.

 

"Let me clean you up a little first, baby." Phil said. "You're a mess."

 

Skye huffed, but she let Phil do what he needed to, though it was plain to see by her face that she hated every second of it.

 

"Are you coming?" Skye looked at Jemma expectantly.

 

Jemma looked at May.

 

"Three more bites, and then you can go play. You'll have a snack and a bottle later though, little one."

 

Jemma nodded. "Can I have a bottle now?" She didn't think she'd ever be able to admit it out loud, but she was starting to prefer having a bottle to eating normal food. It only happened every once in a while though, and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

  
  


She felt a little lonely when May sat her on the chair by herself, and she wished she had her dummy. She felt too little to do anything other than wait for May to come back.

 

Phil must've noticed, because he came over to give her a hug.

 

"I missed you a lot, Daddy." Jemma admitted before she could stop herself. She curled up small on the chair, so Daddy could hold all of her. He stroked her cheek, kissed her forehead.

 

"I missed you too, baby. Did you have fun while I was away?"

 

Jemma hadn't really, but she didn't want to say so. Skye had tried to play with her a lot, but it was hard to really relax without her whole family. She nodded and squirmed a little when she realized  she had to pee. For a moment, she was grateful May had put her in a diaper that morning, because she'd felt too little to make that decision on her own.

 

And then, she was embarrassed,  because of course Daddy noticed.

 

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" He asked.

 

Jemma shook her head hard, mostly because if she said 'yes', she'd have to stop hugging Daddy so he could take her to the potty, and she didn't want that. She relaxed, and felt a warm rush in her diaper.

 

If Phil noticed, he didn't say anything, he just rocked her a little until May came back with her bottle.

 

"I can take it from here," she said, and slid back into the chair, lifting Jemma back onto her lap. She grabbed Phil's arm when he turned to leave. "Thank you for going with him,"

 

Phil just nodded, and headed out of the room.

 

And they were alone.

 

"Three more bites, babe. That's all, and then you can go play with Skye." May said, and kissed her temple.

 

Jemma dutifully allowed May to feed her three more forkfuls of lasagna--Skye had helped to make it, even though she'd needed a bath afterward because she'd gotten so messy. She leaned back against May when she'd finished.

 

"Good girl," May said, and she sounded like she really understood how hard it was for Jemma to eat sometimes. "Let's go sit on the couch and I'll give you your bottle."

 

Jemma reluctantly got to her feet, realizing then just how wet her diaper was. She hadn't realized she'd had to go so badly. She didn't say anything about needing a change though, she just wanted to lay on the couch, cuddle with Mommy, suck her bottle, and not think about anything else.

 

She settled in Mommy's lap almost by instinct, sucking furiously at the bottle's teat; for some reason, she was suddenly hungry again, but as she swallowed the cool milk, the gnawing hunger pangs slowly disappeared.

 

"Easy, sweetheart," May said, smoothing back her hair. "You'll get a tummyache."

 

Jemma whimpered, but she wasn't really sure what she was upset about. "Mommy..." She felt like crying, but she didn't know why, and that only made her want to cry more.

 

"What is it, little one? What's got you so upset?" Mommy asked, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

 

A little sob escaped her, and she pressed her face into May's breast.

 

May patted her butt thoughtfully. "You're soaked, baby." She said gently. "Let's get you changed, you'll feel better."

 

Jemma wriggled. Her diaper had gotten a little cold; maybe that was all she was upset about...

 

It normally didn't bother her too much to be wet, but she'd been feeling very raw and sensitive and overwhelmed while Leo and Daddy had been away, unable to stop thinking about everything that could go wrong on their trip.

 

Mommy was gentle when she changed Jemma, rubbing rash cream into her skin, dusting her with powder before taping her new diaper on.

 

Jemma squirmed and whined a little when Mommy tried to put her pants back on her; she just wanted to cuddle with Mommy, and putting on pants somehow seemed like way too much to deal with.

 

May sighed and kissed Jemma's forehead before folding her pants neatly and laying them on the bed next to her.

 

"I wish you would use you words and talk to me, little one. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."

 

Jemma looked away. Words felt too hard, far away, her tongue unresponsive in her mouth. She didn't want to be a burden, didn't want to cause trouble, but she seemed to be doing just that without really meaning to. She felt hot tears on her face, rolling upward towards her hair, since she was lying down. At least she managed to cry quietly, although her chest ached from holding in the big, heaving sobs she felt like having.

 

She just felt so little and vulnerable, and she didn't know what to do to make it better. Mommy was here, and that helped, but she didn't know how to tell Mommy what she needed, when she hadn't figured it out for herself yet. Sometimes, she wished that Mommy really was a mind reader, that way she would always know what Jemma needed, even if Jemma herself didn't.

 

"Oh, honey," May said softly, helping Jemma to sit up. "Come here," she maneuvered Jemma into her lap, pressing her dummy to her lips.

 

Having something to suck on made her feel a little better, but it was only when Mommy started rocking her that she actually started to calm down. She almost told May how overwhelmed she was feeling, how it was scary to eat by herself, and how she was always anxious and it made her tummy hurt, and how she was just too little to cope with any of it, but she didn't.

 

She thought maybe it was okay for Skye, to be so little and needy, since she was definitely littler, but she thought May and Coulson would think she was a freak if they knew all that about her. Maybe they would think she was too damaged to stay with them, and they'd send her away, and she couldn't cope with that at all.

 

"It's alright, sweetheart," May said. "I've got you. I've got you and I'm not going anywhere."

 

*.*.*.*.

 

[SKYE]

 

Skye poked Jemma gently. Daddy had said he was to take her and Leo to the park to play since they were, as he put it, 'driving him up the wall with their hare-brained shenannigans'. Skye thought that was a silly expression, since everyone knew that cars drove on roads, not walls.

 

Jemma made a sleepy little sound and rolled over, swatting at Skye's finger with a clumsy hand.

 

"You said she was asleep!" Skye accused in a whisper. She didn't like it when Leo played tricks on her.

 

Leo rolled his eyes. "She is. That's just a reflex. Remember when I got pranked, and I ended up with whipped cream on my face?"

 

Skye nodded. She didn't really like to think about those times, even though that was when she'd learned that it was okay to be little, because Ward had been there. She'd liked him. He'd been her big brother, her S.O... and then he'd turned out to be one of the bad guys, and he'd threatened to do awful things to her.

 

She shuddered. "Yeah. I remember."

 

"The way that trick works, is you put the whipped cream, or shaving cream on the person's hand, and then tickle their face, so they put the whipped cream on themselves. If you put it right on their face, they'll wake up and catch you. They're usually not too happy about it." Leo explained. "You know, I still haven't figured out who did that..."

 

Skye grinned. "I'm not telling. Scout's honor."

 

Leo made a face. "Whatever that means...I've got to figure out a good payback prank."

 

"That's probably not a good idea..." Skye warned. She didn't think Mommy would enjoy being pranked very much, and Leo would probably get in trouble.

 

Leo folded his arms. "You're not going to tell me why, are you?"

 

Skye shook her head. "Just saying. It'd be your funeral..."

 

Leo frowned. "You're not being very helpful, you know."

 

"I'm not allowed to tell. It's a secret." Skye told him. She turned her attention back to Jemma who was staring at her, eyes half-lidded, blinking owlishly.

 

"Wha's hap'nin'" She slurred.

 

"Leo and me are going to the park with Daddy. Do you want to come along?"

 

"Okay..." Jemma said hesitantly; she didn't seem very excited...

 

"Should I get Mommy?" Skye wondered. Jemma seemed like she was really upset about something, and Mommy was definitely better at helping with that kind of stuff than she was. She was really good at giving hugs and cuddling, but Mommy was way better at helping with difficult feelings.

 

Jemma nodded.

 

"Do you want someone to stay with you while Skye goes to get May?" Leo asked, and Skye nodded in agreement; she didn't think it would be a good idea to leave Jemma by herself.

 

Jemma didn't say anything, but she reached out and grabbed Skye's hand.

 

"I guess I'll go and get May," Leo said, and hurried out of the room.

 

Jemma started sucking on Skye's finger once Leo had gone.

 

"What are you doing, silly?" Skye wondered, voice gentle. Inwardly, she was a little worried, because Jemma had never done anything like that before. Her dummy was lying on the bed, so Skye dusted it off and gave that to her instead. She seemed a little happier after that.

 

"Hi, little one," Mommy said when she walked into the room. She paused to give Skye a hug and a kiss on the forehead, and Skye was glad Mommy hadn't forgotten about her; she gave Mommy a quick hug of her own, and then scooted out of the way so Mommy could sit by Jemma.

 

"Did you wake up, baby?"

 

Jemma nodded, and leaned into May so she could rub her back.

 

"Are you wet?" Mommy asked.

 

Jemma didn't say anything, and Mommy sighed quietly. She didn't sound mad, just worried. She checked Jemma's diaper then, and Jemma made an indignant sound.

 

"I'm just checking, sweetheart. If you don't feel big enough to tell me if you're wet, that's okay, but that means I need to check you so you don't get a rash." Mommy explained, and Jemma just huffed. Mommy turned to Skye.

 

"Could you get me a new diaper and the wipes, please?"Skye nodded and went to retrieve the items. Mommy asked if she needed a change too, when she returned but she shook her head. Daddy had just changed her a few minutes ago, she was still dry.

 

Jemma didn't fight Mommy during the change, but she squirmed and wriggled a lot when it was time to put the new diaper on.

 

"I'm a big girl," Jemma protested. "I don't need a diaper!"

 

"You are my big girl," Mommy said, and Skye wondered if Jemma noticed the correction. "And big girls make responsible decisions. You've been in diapers almost all week, and I know it's hard for you to remember to go to the bathroom when you're playing. You don't have to wear a diaper if you don't want to, but if you want to go to the park, you need to at least put on a pull-up."

 

"Pull-up," Jemma decided, though she clearly wasn't happy about it.

 

Mommy kissed her forehead. "Thank you for being my big girl and using your words, Jemma. I'm proud of you."

 

Skye switched out Jemma's diaper for a pull-up, even though she knew Mommy would put one in the bag they took with them for Jemma, just in case.

 

Once Jemma was changed, Mommy helped them get dressed and tied back their hair; Jemma had been letting hers grow out a little.

 

"Are you ready yet?" Leo poked his head into the room.

 

"Almost," Skye told him from her place on the floor next to Jemma. "Mommy's getting my shoes. Jemma's too."

 

Leo groaned. "You guys take forever! It'll be dark by the time we get going."

 

"Leo, you need to be patient." Daddy said, coming up behind Leo and putting  a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you come help me pick out some snacks? I bet the girls will be ready by the time were finished."

 

Leo sighed. "Alright," he followed Phil out of the room.

 

Skye smiled. She was excited to go to the park too, especially since her family was together again.

 

She leaned against Jemma while she waited for Mommy to come back, safe and calm and happy. There was nowhere else she'd rather be.

 

She was home.


	12. Chapter 12

[SKYE]

 

Skye was curled up on the floor in the playroom; a place she hadn't even known existed until a few minutes ago. Jemma was pressed against her side, small and warm, dummy bobbing in her mouth as they watched Mulan.

 

They--Skye mostly--watched the movie a lot, and sometimes Leo complained that he was sick of watching the same thing over and over again. But, he was outside right now, so Skye and Jemma were free to watch whatever they pleased.

 

However, Jemma didn't really seem to be paying attention.

 

"Hey. Are you okay?" Skye poked Jemma in the side very gently, and she squirmed a little, but didn't say anything.

 

Jemma looked over at Skye, eyes wet with tears, and climbed into Skye's lap. She didn't weigh very much, so it really wasn't that uncomfortable, but Skye was worried anyway; Jemma was never this clingy with her...

 

Skye took a deep breath and tried not to cry; it was really hard though, because Jemma was crying and Skye hated it when she was upset, and it made her need to cry too--she was way too little to deal with her anxiety any other way. She took Jemma's hand and gave it a little squeeze, she couldn't think of anything to say, but she wanted Jemma to know that she was there for her.

 

Jemma was rubbing her tummy, sweat beading on her forehead.

 

"Do you need the potty?" Skye asked quietly.

 

Jemma shook her head, but Skye didn't think that was true. She kind of wanted to go get Mommy, but she didn't want to leave Jemma when she was so upset...

 

"Mommy," Skye called out tentatively.

 

Jemma cast her a betrayed look, and Skye tried not to let it bother her; she knew Jemma wouldn't ask for help all by herself, because she thought she was too much work.

 

Mommy came into the room then, and Skye was relieved, because Mommy would definitely know how to help Jemma.

 

"What is it, baby?" Mommy asked softly, crouching down next to them.

 

"Jemma's tummy hurts, Mommy," Skye told her, but really, it was only a guess, since she'd seen Jemma rubbing her tummy, but she hadn't actually said that out loud.

 

Mommy reached over and rubbed Jemma's back. "Is that true, little one?" her voice was safe, calm, gentle

 

"'M fine, Mama," Jemma said, and Skye knew right away that she wasn't being honest, because she'd never called May Mama before.

 

Mommy seemed to notice that too, and she moved so she was in front of Jemma. "Do you need to use the potty, baby?" Her voice had changed; it was softer, gentler somehow, and it didn't bother Skye at all that Mommy had called Jemma 'baby', when usually that was just for her.

 

"No." Jemma said firmly, but she was still a little squirmy, and that made Skye think that maybe she really did need to go, even if she was embarrassed to admit it.

 

Mommy stroked Jemma's hair and kissed her temple. "I think we should try anyway; better safe than sorry, right?"

 

"I'm not going," Jemma replied, burying her face in Skye's neck.

 

"It's not up for discussion, little one." Mommy said calmly. "We're going to the potty whether you like it or not. If you try and you still don't have to go, that's fine, but I want you to at least try."

 

"No," Jemma whined. Her arms wound tighter around Skye, and that was making it a little hard to breathe.

 

Skye was confused, and worried--she'd have expected Jemma to jump at the chance to use the toilet; especially given how bad she normally felt after she wet her diaper. And, given that she'd been rubbing her tummy earlier, Skye didn't think that was the problem...Skye sighed quietly as a faint throb began between her temples.

 

This was too stressful. She wanted her blanket, and maybe a bottle, but Jemma needed her, and she didn't want to abandon her.

 

"It's just the potty, Jemma," Skye said. "There's nothing to be afraid of..."

 

"I'm not afraid." Jemma said, face twisting as she grimaced.

 

Mommy held out her hand. "Let's go Jemma, you can come back and play with Skye after you sit on the potty for a little bit."

 

Jemma shook her head. "You can't make me," Jemma protested further. "I won't go."

 

"Jemma Elizabeth Simmons," Mommy's voice was very firm; she wasn't yelling, but she definitely wasn't happy. Skye was worried for Jemma, because when Mommy used your full name, it usually meant you were in big trouble.

 

"I'm giving you until the count of three to get up and come with Mommy like a big girl, or I'll carry you to the potty myself.

 

Jemma didn't say anything, she just glared at Mommy, like she didn't quite believe her. "You can't carry me, I'm way too big." She said finally.

 

Skye wasn't so sure about that, since Jemma was even smaller than her, and she bet she could probably lift Jemma without much trouble if she tried...

 

Mommy raised an eyebrow, and Skye cringed at her expression.

 

Uh-oh...

 

"One...two...two-and-a-half..." Mommy sighed when Jemma stubbornly refused to move .

 

Mommy was a little shorter than Skye, but she plucked Jemma out of Skye's lap and settled her on her hip, like she actually was a baby.

 

Jemma looked almost relieved, and she rested her head on Mommy's shoulder.

 

Mommy clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "You definitely need to start eating more, little one--it shouldn't be this easy for me to carry you." She told Jemma. She turned to Skye.

 

"Go see Daddy and get changed baby; you're soaked."

 

Skye wondered how Mommy knew that, and then she remembered that she wasn't wearing pants.

 

"Okay, Mommy," she said around her thumb.

 

She hadn't really thought about her diaper until Mommy had said something about it, but she felt the heaviness when she stood up, the swollen padding made it hard to walk properly.

 

Daddy was in the little workroom off the living room, looking at something on the computer.

 

Skye sat down next to him on the floor, thumb moving in her mouth. She felt his fingers in her hair, gently scratching over her scalp.

 

"I'm wet," she said after a while, resting her head against his thigh. "What'cha doin'?"

 

"I'm looking up times for the movies later on. I thought maybe we could go out tonight and do something as a family."

 

Skye nodded. "That sounds like fun. I wonder what Leo and Jemma will want to see."

 

"Why don't you ask them?" Daddy suggested, but he took hold of her shirt before she got too far away. "Not so fast, baby. We need to get you dry."

 

Skye groaned. It didn't seem fair, getting her all excited like that, only to tell her she had to wait.

 

"Sorry, kiddo, I'll be in trouble with your mommy if I let you get a rash."

 

Skye pouted, even though that made sense. She lifted her arms. "Up, Daddy?"

 

Daddy smiled. "How can I say 'no' to that face?" He wondered, and lifted her into his arms.

 

*.*.*.*.

 

[JEMMA]

 

As soon as they were in the bathroom, Jemma burst into tears.

 

Her tummy hurt _so bad_ , and she hadn't slept properly in days, and everything was too much.

 

Mommy just held her close, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet. "Oh, baby," she said softly, stroking Jemma's back. "What's wrong?"

 

"It hurts, Mommy," Jemma said. She'd meant to have words, explain herself properly, but her stomach was aching with sharp, horrible cramps, and she couldn't cope with the pain.

 

"What does, sweetheart?" Mommy asked, brushing her sweat-damp hair away from her face; Jemma leaned into the touch.

 

"My tummy," Jemma managed, pressing her face against Mommy.

 

"Poor baby," May said, her voice sympathetic and gentle. "Do you want to try sitting on the potty? That might help."

 

"I can't." Jemma confessed finally, her face, she imagined, was probably three shades of red by now. "I haven't been able to... _go_ for three days..."

 

"You're constipated?" May clarified, and Jemma hid her face. This was such an embarrassing thing to talk about; she wished the floor would open up and swallow her.

 

Jemma nodded.

 

"Sweetheart, why didn't you say something? We have medicine for that--you didn't have to suffer through all this."

 

Jemma stared at the floor. "It's embarrassing." She said, wondering if maybe this was how Skye felt when she had to admit that she'd wet her diaper.

 

May sighed. "You need to work on this. If you don't feel well, you need to tell someone so we can help you. I tell you all the time that I can't help you with a problem I don't know about, don't I?"

 

Jemma nodded. "It hurts to walk, Mommy. I didn't want to say that around Skye. I'm sorry I was bad."

 

Mommy kissed her forehead. "It's okay, I'm not upset. Everyone gets a little cranky when they don't feel well. I'm going to go get some medicine for your tummy. Will you be okay here, on your own for a little bit?"

 

Jemma shook her head firmly. That sounded like way too much to cope with, and she grabbed Mommy's hand. "Don't leave my by myself," she pleaded. She'd meant to sound like she meant it, but it came out frantic and a little desperate, and she was embarrassed again.

 

Mommy sighed. "Okay little one." She smoothed down Jemma's hair and wiped her tears away with the pads of her thumbs. "It's okay, baby. I've got you."

 

*.*.*.*.

 

[SKYE]

 

Skye padded down the hallway slowly, clutching her blanket in one hand , thumb in her mouth. She'd started off in her bed, but she'd had bad dreams, and when she woke up, her diaper had leaked a little, and the bedroom trembled, and she needed to be with Mommy and Daddy.

 

She heard a faint cracking sound when she passed by Jemma's room, almost like someone opening a can of soda, which they definitely weren't allowed to have at dinnertime, because Mommy and Daddy said it would keep them awake, or give them nightmares. So, Skye reasoned, it definitely wasn't allowed after bedtime.

 

She sucked her thumb a little harder, deliberating. She didn't want to upset Jemma, but at the same time, she felt like she needed to check on her. They had to look out for each other, even though they had Mommy and Daddy now. She reluctantly pulled her thumb out of her mouth and knocked on the door.

 

"Jemma? Are you okay?"

 

"Just a moment," Jemma answered, and she sounded oddly awake, considering that it was the middle of the night...

 

The door swung open, and although her hair was mussed, Jemma didn't look like she'd been sleeping. She smiled at Skye, warm and friendly, like always, but Skye felt the familiar niggling sensation at the base of her skull, her instincts were telling her something was off.

 

"Did you have a bad dream?" Jemma wondered sympathetically.

 

Skye nodded absently, peering over Jemma's shoulder to see if there was anything amiss in the room. It was hard to force herself into being big almost all the time, but sometimes, it happened all by itself; she supposed she had Mommy's training to thank for that.

 

Jemma's eyes, she noticed, were too alert, fingers trembling a little.

 

Jemma seemed to realize that Skye had noticed something, because she said "Should we go get Mommy?"

 

Skye put her hands on her hips, and gave Jemma the sternest expression she could muster. "I don't know," she said. "You tell me. What are you doing in there Jemma?"

 

"I haven't the faintest idea what you mean. I was sleeping..."

 

Skye sighed. "I think you know exactly what I mean Jemma." Skye said. And then she saw that Jemma's body was angled to hide her right hand from Skye's line of sight. "What's in your hand, Jem?"

 

Jemma stiffened. "Nothing," she said, a little too quickly.

 

Skye sighed. "You can tell me, or you can tell Mommy, Jemma. If you're trying to hide it, then my guess is that Mommy won't be too happy about it..."

 

"You're not a tattle-tale." Jemma pointed out.

 

"I'm not. But there's a big difference between tattling, and telling a grown-up something to protect someone...even if it's from themselves." Skye tried to be gentle about her delivery, because the last thing she wanted to do was upset Jemma, but Jemma looked like she was going to cry anyway.

 

She sniffled and slowly held out her other hand; in it was an energy drink. Skye'd had it before, and she knew that May had too; sometimes, on important missions, you couldn't afford to sleep. But, she didn't like the way it made her twitchy, and hyper, like she couldn't sit still, and it made it much harder to focus on things.

 

Skye let out a little sigh of relief--all things considered, Jemma could've been hiding something much worse. "How many of those have you had today?" Skye wondered.

 

"Three." Jemma replied hesitantly. "I don't want to go to sleep. I don't want to dream." She was crying now, tears rolling down her cheeks.

 

Skye pulled her into a hug. "It's okay Jems," Skye told her, rubbing her back. "You can sleep with me and Mommy. Even Leo does that sometimes."

 

"I'm too much work." Jemma said. "Mommy will get sick of me."

 

"You know that's not true." Skye said. "You're never too much work." She held out a hand. "Let's go find Mommy."

 

Jemma slid her dummy into her mouth. "Are you gonna tell her?"

 

"Not tonight. Tomorrow. I'm really wet, and I need to get changed. And after that, I think we could both use some sleep; I had bad dreams, too."

 

Jemma slipped her hand into Skye's her fingers cold and a little wet from the drink.

 

Skye squeezed her hand gently, and went to go find Mommy.


	13. Chapter 13

[SKYE]

 

The last thing Skye expected to see when she shuffled into the kitchen with Mommy the next morning was Leo and Jemma, soaking wet, standing in the middle of the kitchen.

 

Leo had a reddish mark on his cheek, one that looked suspiciously like a handprint, but he didn't seem to be in any pain. And, he was wearing his bathing suit, so at least he'd been prepared to get wet.

 

Jemma, on the other hand, was still in her pajamas, wringing the hem of her shirt absently as she stared at the floor.

 

Daddy was there too, and Skye thought he looked a little upset. He sighed. "Leo, go dry off and get changed for breakfast. Jemma, I'd like to talk to you for a little bit first."

 

Leo turned away and headed out of the kitchen, grinning mischievously when he saw Skye. He gave her a big, soaking wet hug, getting her pajama top damp in the process.

 

Skye wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at Leo as he walked away.

 

"What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?" Daddy was asking, and Skye cringed.

 

"I told him not to do it; you should never go swimming without a buddy, and I'm too scared to get in with him. But he did it anyway." Jemma's voice was firm. "But then, he was under for a really long time, and..." she sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "I thought he drowned. I can't do that again; he really scared me, Daddy,"

 

"That does sound very scary," Daddy agreed. "But that doesn't mean it's okay to hit," his voice was gentle and calm.

 

"You don't understand!" Jemma was yelling now, her voice ragged, tears streaming down her face. "You weren't there! I thought we were going to--" she clamped her mouth shut suddenly, and glared at Coulson. Her bottom lip trembled and then her face crumpled; she collapsed against him sobbing.

 

Skye's own eyes burned, and she pressed her face against Mommy, sliding her thumb in her mouth. She hated it when Jemma was upset. Mommy rubbed her back gently and kissed the top of her head.  

 

Skye looked over, and Daddy had picked Jemma up, rubbing her back as she rested her head on his shoulder. She could tell by the motion of his lips that he was whispering nonsense, trying to soothe her. It looked like Jemma was starting to calm down, but it was hard to tell for sure.

 

"Will she be okay?" Skye asked Mommy quietly, she didn't want to embarrass Jemma.

 

"I'm sure she will. She just needs some time. Remember when you got hurt, and you didn't like loud noises for a while?"

 

Skye nodded, rubbing the scars on her belly absently. That had been really, really scary, and she was so glad that Mommy and Daddy had been there to help her.

 

"It was scary, Mommy," she admitted after a moment.

 

Mommy kissed her temple, and she felt a little better. "I know, baby. And, I think that's what's going on with Jemma and Leo; neither of them likes to be around water very much. Leo's doing better, and so is Jemma, but I think Leo really scared Jemma when he went swimming." She explained.

 

"Daddy..." Jemma whimpered, and Skye's stomach tightened anxiously.

 

"I'm right here, sweetheart. It's alright." Daddy swayed gently from side to side, and it must've been enough like rocking to soothe, because Jemma started to calm down.

 

Jemma sniffled. "Am I in trouble?"

 

Daddy wiped away Jemma's tears. "Well, I know that you know that it isn't okay to hit, so I think you owe Leo an apology for that, but no, you're not in trouble. Why don't you go with mommy and Skye and get changed, and then we'll eat breakfast. How does that sound?"

 

Jemma wriggled a little, and Skye guessed that she wanted to be put down. "Okay." she said quietly.

 

Daddy put Jemma down and she slowly made her way over to Skye and May.

 

Skye reached out and took Jemma's hand, because she really seemed to need the support.

 

"Alright little ones," Mommy was saying, "Let's go get cleaned up."

 

*.*.*.*

 

Skye cuddled with her blanket on the bed after she was dry; Mommy had dressed her in a comfortable t-shirt and dungarees, but she hadn't put on her socks yet.

 

Jemma was laying on the bed next to her--she wasn't wearing anything on her bottom half, but she didn't seem to care.

 

"Do you want to wear a diaper, or a pull-up today?" Mommy was asking, but Jemma just laid there quietly and didn't say anything, her paci bobbing in her mouth. She didn't protest when Mommy reached for a diaper, and Skye guessed that Jemma probably needed the extra security. She definitely seemed little enough, but Skye thought that she was probably embarrassed to say so.

 

Mommy sighed quietly and changed Jemma quickly; she dressed Jemma in an outfit similar to Skye's. She'd just finished taping the diaper on when there was a knock at the door.

 

Skye looked up, expecting to see Daddy, but it was Leo. He was covering his eyes with one hand, and Skye thought he looked kind of silly, but she thought it would be awkward for him to walk in during one of their changes.

 

"Can I come in?" He asked.

 

"It's okay, Leo, everyone's decent," Mommy told him.

 

Leo uncovered his eyes. "Hey, everyone."

 

Jemma stiffened, and reached over to hold Skye's hand.

 

Her grip was tight enough to make Skye's fingers tingle, but she didn't say anything about that.

 

"'M so'y I hitted you, Leo." Jemma said quietly.

 

Skye thought that Jemma must really be feeling little, since she normally spoke so clearly. She let go of Jemma's hand and pulled her close. She was shaking, her entire body trembled, and Skye realized then how anxious she must be. It made her anxious too, when Jemma was this upset, because she was never sure what to do.

 

She tried stroking Jemma's hair and whispering nonsense to her, and it seemed to help, but she tensed whenever Leo came close.

 

Leo finally just sat on the floor and looked at her. "I'm not mad at you," he said.

 

"I'm awful," Jemma responded.

 

"That's not true." Leo said, and his voice was firm, not allowing any arguments, and Skye wondered if he'd learned that from Daddy.  "You're not awful. And besides, we all do things that we normally wouldn't when we're angry...It was pretty silly of me to go swimming like that, wasn't it?" He was smiling gently now, almost like he was laughing at his own foolishness.

 

"I'm very sorry I scared you." He continued, swallowing hard. "I should have listened to you when you said you were afraid. I was selfish, and I did what I wanted to do, even though I knew it would make you uncomfortable...I'm...I know we...I--" Leo sighed, his voice shaky, body shuddering. He nibbled at his knuckle for a moment, pulling it out of his mouth when May moved to take his hand away.

 

There were teeth marks on his finger, and Skye really hoped that he wouldn't start crying, because then there was no way she would be able to hold back her own tears.

 

"I can't...I can't ever be that helpless again Jemma. I know it's not--it isn't fair to ask you to watch me take these risks, so I won't.  I just...I want to be able to protect you. Protect myself..." Leo looked away then, his expression blank and hollow.

 

Jemma reached out and put a hand on his arm, eyes wet, and she said: "We have to stick together. We're family."

 

Leo seemed to relax at that. "Right,"

 

Skye's stomach growled, rather noisily and Mommy chuckled.

 

"Alright kids, it's time to get something to eat."

 

*.*.*.*.

 

[JEMMA]

 

Jemma curled into Mommy, sucking her bottle absently. May had been a little exasperated when she insisted on having a bottle instead of food for breakfast, and she was sure she'd be having a snack within the hour. She didn't _mean_ to be so much work, but she was anyway.

 

She felt herself starting to cry, but May was there, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair. She was such a _baby_.

 

"I'm right here," Mommy reminded her. "I've got you, little one."

 

Skye wandered over to the window. "Uh-oh." She said quietly. Jemma thought she was cute like that, in just a long t-shirt and her diaper, and she wished she could be as comfortable as Skye was in her own skin.

 

"What's wrong?" Mommy wondered. She started rocking Jemma, slow and rhythmic and soothing.

 

"Storm's coming. Daddy and Leo are gonna get wet."

 

Jemma vaguely remembered Daddy saying that he was going to teach Leo how to skip rocks at the pond. It wasn't far to walk, but if it started raining, they'd probably be soaked before they got back.

 

There was a low rumble of thunder in distance, and Jemma didn't realize how tightly she'd been gripping May's shirt until her knuckles started to hurt.

 

"Shhh." Mommy said quietly. "It's just noise, baby. It can't hurt you."

 

Jemma understood that, she did, but that didn't make it any easier to be brave.

 

"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day..." Skye sang softly, curling up next to Jemma and Mommy on the couch.

 

If thunderstorms went away forever and never came back, Jemma thought, that would be just fine by her.

 

Her diaper expanded between her thighs, warm and safe; she'd had to pee for a while and she guessed she'd forgotten about it--she was glad Mommy had put her in a diaper, because she definitely would have had an accident otherwise.

 

If Mommy noticed, she didn't say anything, she just kept rocking Jemma.

 

Jemma really wished she had her dummy, especially now that her bottle was empty, but she'd left it in her room since she wasn't allowed to suck on it at the table.

 

Another thunderclap sounded, much closer this time, powerful enough to rattle the windows.

 

"Cool!" Skye was smiling and she got up to go look out the window again.

 

Mommy stroked Jemma's face, soft and gentle. Jemma reached up and guided Mommy's finger to her mouth and latched on without really thinking about it.

 

Mommy smiled down at her. "Is that better?" She asked gently, her voice soft and warm like in the TV shows Leo always said were just for babies.

 

Jemma found herself nodding, even though it was embarrassing. She hoped Mommy didn't think she was gross.

 

But Mommy just said "Good," and kept rocking her.

 

"They're back," Skye said. "Can I go watch the storm with them, Mommy?

 

Mommy nodded. "That's fine; but stay on the porch."

 

Skye scampered off to go meet up with Leo and Coulson, and they were alone.

 

Jemma's tummy was tight and anxious, and she thought maybe she had to go to the bathroom too, but it was hard to tell.

 

Mommy shifted, slowly taking her finger out of Jemma's mouth; Jemma whimpered quietly, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

 

"Oh, honey," May said quietly, smoothing Jemma's hair back. "I just have to go to the bathroom. I'm coming right back. Do you need your dummy before I go?"

 

Jemma knew she should let May have some privacy, that she should at least be allowed to go to the loo in peace, but being apart from her for that small amount of time somehow seemed like way too much.

 

"No, Mama," Jemma froze. She definitely hadn't meant to call May that, it had just happened, and anyway she was too afraid of May leaving her to worry about it. "Don't leave me,"

 

May sighed. "Do you need to come with me?"

 

Jemma was nodding before she realized it. Mommy took her hand and led her down the hall to the bathroom. It was a little scary to have to let go of Mommy's hand, even though she was right there.

 

"Have you been to the potty yet today, sweetheart?"

 

Jemma shook her head. "I'm too little," she said and it was embarrassing to admit that but it felt true, especially considering that she was wearing a wet nappy and the toilet was right next to her. She felt herself wetting again, almost as if her body was supporting her claim. She hoped she wouldn't leak...

 

"I meant because of the tummy trouble you've been having." Mommy clarified. "It's okay if you need to use your diaper for that too, but I just wanted to ask while we're here."

 

Jemma made a face. She didn't think she'd ever be okay with doing that...

 

"No, Mama. Not yet."

 

"Do you want to try sitting on the potty?"

 

Jemma squirmed. She felt way too little to make that decision. She stared at the floor.

 

"Do you need help?" Mommy wondered.

 

Jemma nodded.

 

Mommy came over and pulled down her sweatpants.

 

"You're soaked, kid. You need to tell me or Daddy when you need a diaper change, otherwise you'll get a rash."

 

"'m sorry." Jemma said around her thumb. She wasn't sure when it had gone into her mouth, and it felt weird, but she definitely needed to suck something.

 

"You don't have to be sorry. Just try to remember next time okay?"

 

Jemma nodded and then felt cool air on her bottom as Mommy untaped her diaper. She sat down on the toilet and reached for Mommy's hand.

 

It was embarrassing to go like that, holding Mommy's hand, and to have Mommy clean her up when she'd finished, but also very intimate and safe.

 

"Good girl," Mommy said after they'd washed their hands.

 

Jemma smiled.

 

"We need to get you a new diaper, little one, but what did you want to do after that?"

 

Jemma shrugged. "I just want to be with you, Mommy,"

  
Mommy kissed her forehead. "I'd like that very much, sweetheart."


	14. Chapter 14

[SKYE]

 

It was really pretty, Skye thought, to watch the sun setting over the lake.

 

Leo had given her his jacket to wear, since it was chilly in the evenings.

 

They were sitting on the balcony overlooking the lake; Daddy and Leo were leaning up against the railing, and Skye, Jemma, and Mommy were sitting on the bench.

 

Skye thought it was a fancy bench, since it moved back and forth like a rocking chair. It was relaxing, but Skye thought that  Jemma probably liked it more than she did.

 

Jemma was sitting in Mommy's lap, her eyes half-closed, like she was really sleepy.

 

Skye propped her feet up on the wrought-iron fire pit in front of them. She wished they could have a fire, maybe make s'mores, but she thought it was probably close to bedtime, and she didn't know what Mommy or Daddy would say if she asked. She chewed her lip and wriggled a little. There was a warm  rush in her diaper, which had already been kind of wet, but that was okay, she was little.

 

"Do you need a change?" Mommy asked quietly, rocking Jemma a little. Her eyes were drifting shut, very slowly, her dummy bobbing gently in her mouth; it didn't seem like she was paying attention to anything.

 

Skye shifted a little. Her diaper squished against her skin--it was probably close to leaking, but that didn't mean she had to get changed right now...She squirmed, it didn't feel like she was getting a rash...

 

"Not yet," she decided.

 

Mommy raised an eyebrow.  "Are you sure?"

 

Skye wanted to squirm all over again. She didn't trust her voice, so she just nodded.

 

"Do I need to check you?" Mommy asked.

 

Skye shook her head.

 

"Phil, could you please change the baby?"

 

Daddy pushed himself away from the railing

"You got it," he said.

 

Skye huffed.

 

Even though she knew that she shouldn't have expected to avoid a  change so easily, it was still disappointing that she couldn't stay outside. She scooted away from him, shaking her head.

 

"No..." she whined, even though she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere.

 

"I'm not going to argue with you, Skye."

 

"But, I'm not even that wet..." she whined.

 

Daddy just sighed and picked her up like she really was a baby.

 

She didn't bother struggling after that, she just rested her head on Daddy's shoulder and let him carry her away.

 

*.*.*.*.

 

[JEMMA]

 

Jemma wished she could stay the way she was forever, safe and warm in Mommy's arms.

 

"Be careful, Leo." Mommy said.

 

"I will," Leo answered softly, and then there was the distinctive sound of a match being struck.

 

Jemma blinked at the noise wincing at the harsh light from the glare of the match. She stared as the crumpled newspaper caught fire, then the kindling, and finally the logs.

 

"It's pretty, Mommy," Jemma said, looking up at May.

 

May smiled and kissed her forehead. "It is, little one. Are you hungry? It's been a while since you ate..."

 

Jemma squirmed. She was a little hungry, but she felt like she wanted a bottle more than food, but that was hard to say. She put her dummy back into her mouth and sucked on it hard, hoping Mommy wouldn't be cross with her for not answering.

 

She felt, rather than heard, Mommy sigh, and then cool, gentle fingers were brushing her hair out of her face.

 

"Come with me, honey. I'll make you a bottle. If you finish your snack afterwards, we can make some s'mores

 

Jemma blinked and rubbed her eyes,  wondering how Mommy could always tell when she was hungry.

 

"I don't want a snack." Jemma protested. She felt her eyes welling with moisture, even though she didn't mean to cry. She tried to suck on her dummy, but she guessed it'd fallen out of her mouth when she was talking. She sighed.

 

"I know." Mommy said. "But you need to eat something. It doesn't have to be a lot, but you can't go for such a long time without eating. You'll make yourself sick."

 

Jemma knew that she wouldn't be able to argue her way out of eating, no matter how hard she tried,so she sighed and took Mommy's hand, letting herself be led to the kitchen.

 

Mommy brought over a plate of apple slices--pieces small enough for Jemma to easily eat with her fingers.

 

Jemma just stared at the plate, she didn't feel big enough to feed herself, but that was embarrassing to say.

 

"Do you need me to feed you?" Mommy asked, gently stroking Jemma's hair.

 

Jemma swallowed, unsure how she should answer. It would be embarrassing to say 'yes' but she didn't know if she could eat by herself. She felt a little whimper escape her, and then she was crying.

 

"Mommy..." Jemma wasn't exactly sure what she was asking for, but she knew Mommy could make her feel better, even if she didn't know for certain what she was upset about.

 

Mommy helped Jemma settle onto her lap then, rocking her a little, whispering softly into her ear; but Jemma still pressed her lips together when Mommy tried to feed her.

 

"What is it, baby?" Mommy asked, pressing a kiss to Jemma's temple. "Do you want your bottle first?"

 

Jemma found herself nodding before she'd thought about it properly, but she was grateful when Mommy shifted her in her lap so she could give her her bottle, almost as though she didn't weigh anything.

 

Mommy pressed the teat to her lips, and Jemma latched on, she'd've liked to say it was because she was so thirsty, but it was almost instinctive by now.

 

"That's it," Mommy said softly. "Easy does it. Shhh."

 

Jemma felt Mommy's fingers on her face, wiping away tears, maybe, and she was a little unsettled by that, because she hadn't even realized she was crying. Her fingers fisted in Mommy's shirt, and Jemma clung to her for dear life. She felt _so little_ , and so raw, and she didn't know what to do about it at all.

 

"I've got you," Mommy was saying, her voice soft and gentle. "It's alright."

 

Jemma wasn't sure it was, but she didn't argue. She was disappointed when the bottle was empty, her tummy tight and anxious and sore. She was able to eat the apple slices when May fed them to her, which was good, because she didn't think she could be big enough to feed herself.

 

She'd felt her bigger self slipping in the few days they'd been here; the house was nice, comfortable, a safe haven, and Jemma was so grateful for that. But, it was just that: a house. There were no labs to run or samples of alien biology to examine, nothing to keep her distracted from how little and raw and vulnerable she felt.

 

Mommy had put her in diapers, like Skye, yesterday, but not because she'd asked for them; she'd had two accidents, real, genuine accidents, for the first time that she could remember and the rule was that anyone who had two accidents in one day needed to be put back in diapers for a while. Jemma couldn't bring herself to be bothered by that though, as embarrassing as it had been at first...

 

Jemma shifted a little, trying to see if she was still dry; she didn't _feel_ wet, but she knew from experience that she couldn't always rely on that. She felt Mommy checking her diaper then, and her cheeks warmed once she realized what was happening.

 

"All dry. Good girl." May said, and kissed her temple. "Do you want to try sitting on the potty for a little while?"

 

Jemma shook her head. She thought she might have to go soon, but it didn't feel too urgent just now; and anyway, that would mean leaving Mommy, and she didn't know if she could cope with that.

 

"We'll try again before bedtime okay? If you need to go before then, just tell me."

 

Jemma nodded.

 

"Do you want to nurse?" Mommy asked, and Jemma was surprised at the question, until she realized that she'd been nuzzling at May's breast, and then she was mostly just embarrassed.

 

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I didn' mean..."

 

May stroked her hair, gentle and soothing. "It's okay, little one. I'm not upset."

 

"Yes." Jemma said before she could stop herself. "Please."

 

May kissed her forehead. "Okay, little one. You can nurse. Thank you for telling me what you need. Why don't we  go sit on the couch, I think we'll both be more comfortable there."

 

Jemma was surprised when Mommy picked her up again. She felt so safe when Mommy was holding her, but also a little guilty--she didn't want Mommy to hurt herself trying to carry her, when she should be big enough to walk by herself...

 

Jemma felt better when Mommy settled with her on the couch, adjusting her clothes so Jemma could latch on. It felt strange at first, different from sucking a dummy or a bottle, but it felt safer too.

 

After a while, Mommy disengaged Jemma and kissed her forehead. "Feeling better, sweetheart?"

 

Jemma nodded and sat up so she could give Mommy a proper hug. "Yes. Thank you, Mommy. Can we make s'mores now? I've never had them before..."

 

"You've never had s'mores?" Skye sounded incredulous. "We definitely need to fix that. Right, Daddy?" She looked up at Coulson, who was holding her hand.

 

Coulson nodded. "I think so. Why don't you take Jemma out and sit with Leo, and Mommy and I will bring out the things we need to make them."

 

Jemma was glad when Skye took her hand, even if her hands were a little cold. They all sat together on the bench by the fire, burning steadily now. It was a bit of a squash for all three of them to fit, but they managed.

 

Leo put a tentative arm around Jemma's shoulders, strong and comforting, and Skye held Jemma's hand.

 

It was almost perfect, Jemma just wished she had her dummy. She said as much, and Skye gave her hand a squeeze before disappearing into the house to get it for her.

 

Jemma had just begun to wonder what was taking so long, when Skye emerged, breathless and smiling, hauled Leo and Jemma off the bench.

 

"You guys've gotta see this!" She said. Her eyes were bright and excited, and before Jemma could ask what was going on, Skye was pulling both her and Leo out of their seats. She led them round the house to the kitchen window, motioning for them to be quiet before standing to peek in.

 

Jemma followed suit when Leo did, and she couldn't help the smile spreading across her face.

 

There in the kitchen, Phil Coulson was down on one knee, holding a beautiful diamond ring out to Melinda May.

 

May's "Yes," was barely audible, but Phil smiled and stood up to place the ring on her finger.

 

Jemma barely managed to stifle a giddy laugh when they kissed, and then May turned toward the window, still smiling, before the three of them could move.

 

"Alright, kids, show's over."

 

"Oh, my god, this is amazing! We've gotta celebrate! Do we have any champagne?" Skye said through the window.

 

May just raised an eyebrow. "No alcohol for the little ones."

 

Skye pouted. "Or, we could have juice..."

 

"Don't you want s'mores?" Mommy asked

 

Jemma nodded--she'd been looking forward to having them.

 

"Daddy and I will be right out. Why don't you three go and make sure the fire's still going." May said.

 

"Are you guys gonna kiss again?" Skye wondered.

 

Mommy looked at Daddy and pressed her lips to his. Next to Jemma, Skye made a gagging noise.

 

"Yuck," Skye complained.

  
Leo laughed. "Let's give them some privacy." He tugged Jemma and Skye both away from the window.


	15. Chapter 15

[JEMMA]

  
  


Jemma felt...lost.

 

She'd read an article, a snippet, really, about a shipment of rubber ducks that had been lost at sea, and drifted for years before they finally washed ashore, sun-bleached and weathered.

 

Surely, she reasoned, they would have all gone to different homes, been played with by different children, perhaps even handed down through generations when those children were grown and had kids of their own...

 

But, they'd gotten lost, and although the story had been interesting, they'd probably been cleaned up and thrown away; the parallel between that and her own life situation were strikingly similar.

 

Her Mum had no doubt had her own ideas of how Jemma should've lived her life, and when Jemma hadn't lived up to them, her Mum had simply disregarded her existence and _moved on_ with her life...

 

Sometimes, Jemma wished, that she didn't have a Little side, that she could be grown-up and proper and normal. But, no matter how hard she'd tried to ignore it, it was always there.

 

And now, just as she was starting to settle in to this routine, things were changing again.

 

She was happy for Mommy and Daddy--Agent May and Director Coulson--she really was, but she was afraid that now that they had each other, and Skye, who was littler and cuter than her, that maybe they wouldn't want her anymore.

 

Leo, even though he was her best friend in the world, and he also had a Little side, was much better at suppressing his, at dealing with things like an adult. And, Jemma knew she couldn't rely on him to look after her--it wouldn't be fair to him, especially not so soon after losing his Mum. She would, she knew, only be a burden to him.

 

It was awful, and terrifying, because when it came down to it, she really didn't have anywhere else to go, if she wasn't with Mommy and Daddy--May and Coulson. As much as she wished she could deny it, she was starting to need looking after, rather than just wanting it.

 

Just yesterday, after they'd gone to the cinema, they'd stopped off at the market to buy groceries. She had adamantly refused to wear any kind of protection when May had suggested it, even though she knew May was only looking after her best interests.

 

May had realized that Jemma had needed the bathroom, and Skye, Leo and Phil had been in another part of the store. Jemma had insisted that she could wait like a big girl, and May had been skeptical, but it was almost their turn in the checkout queue, and Jemma had been too embarrassed to admit that she was afraid to go to the restroom all by herself; there were way too many people, and it was loud and disorienting, and she had never really liked crowds anyway.

 

By the time they'd gotten to the restroom, Jemma's knickers had been wet, not enough that it showed on the outside her clothing, but only just barely.

 

May hadn't told her off, like she'd expected her to, but she did say, as she helped Jemma into a pull-up, that things would be easier for Jemma if she'd listen and do as May said, instead of forcing herself to be big if she didn't feel big.

 

Thankfully, no one had walked in on them, but the experience had been embarrassing all the same.

 

It was hard to imagine that May or Coulson, or anyone else in her family, for that matter, leaving her, but the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

 

Jemma shifted in her chair, bringing herself back to the present. Her diaper--not a pull-up, because she'd had two accidents already; being big was much harder than she remembered--crinkled noisily beneath her, and that didn't help her to feel big at all.

 

She'd barely touched the food in front of her, but her tummy was tight and anxious, and she didn't feel like she could eat any more. She really wanted a bottle, but she was afraid to ask, because maybe May or Coulson would be cross, or tell her that she had to finish her food. Maybe they thought she was too much work already, and this would be the tipping point, the last straw before they decided she was too much trouble, and sent her away.

 

Jemma sighed. She was such a baby...

 

She felt a tear trickling down her face, and she wiped it away, and then suddenly, there were lots of tears, dripping off her chin, onto the table.

 

"What's wrong, little one?" Mommy was asking.

 

Jemma tried to explain, but she was crying too hard to talk, and she couldn't breathe, and she thought she probably sounded like a real baby, crying until they ran out of air, and then just wheezing until their body forced them to breathe again.

 

"Baby..." Mommy said gently, touching Jemma's dummy to her lips. She sounded really worried. "Can you tell me what's wrong? Does your tummy hurt?"

 

Jemma latched on immediately, fingers clenching Mommy's shirt. "Don't go. Please, please, Mommy, don't leave me." She murmured over and over again. Or, at least, that's what she'd tried to say. She was crying too hard to speak properly, she hadn't taken her dummy out, and she was fairly certain that her plea had been completely unintelligible. She felt Mommy maneuvering her gently, helping Jemma to sit on her lap.

 

"It's okay. I've got you. Mommy's got you, baby." Mommy rubbed her back, gentle and soothing. "What's got you so upset, sweetheart?"

 

It all came spilling out of Jemma, fast and almost incoherent, and she begged May not to leave her.

 

And then, May was holding her tighter than she could ever remember being held, but it felt safe, and secure, rather than constricting.

 

"I'm not going anywhere, little one. I promise. You're a little old for it now, but if I could adopt you, all three of you, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Mommy said.

 

"But, you have Daddy and Skye. You don't need me, and Leo doesn't either. I'm such a baby, I'm sorry, but I can't help it." Jemma tried to pull away, but May wouldn't let her.

 

"Of course I need you!" May said gently, smoothing Jemma's hair out of her face. "I love you, and I'd worry about you a lot more than I already do if you were out there all by yourself. Marrying Phil doesn't mean that I don't have time for you anymore; I will always have time for my little ones."

 

"You mean it?" Jemma wondered. She wanted so desperately to believe May, but she wasn't sure if she could. It seemed almost too good to be true, like she was setting herself up for yet another emotional blow.

 

May nodded and gave her another squeeze, pressing a kiss to her temple.

 

Jemma felt a warm rush in her diaper, the padding swelling between her thighs. She was slipping further and further into her Little self, and it was becoming harder and harder to push herself into being Big.

 

And then Mommy was feeding her with gentle fingers, pressing grapes and little cheese cubes to Jemma's lips. It was much easier to eat when Mommy fed her, and Jemma was very grateful.

 

She started to fuss--it made her feel very Little and babyish to think that she was 'fussy'--when May got up to get her bottle, but she was able to calm down when Mommy was holding her again, gentle and safe and tender as she suckled on the bottle.

 

Jemma had almost finished her bottle when Skye toddled--even with her extensive vocabulary, Jemma really couldn't think of a better word--into the room.

 

"Mommy?" Skye began hesitantly, her face red, bangs obscuring her eyes. "I...I had an accident." Tears rolled down her cheeks, and it left little question as to what Skye meant.

 

Mommy kissed Jemma's forehead. "Why don't you go sit with Daddy in his office until I get back?"

 

Jemma nodded, even though she was nervous to walk that far all by herself. "Can I have my dummy?" She was grateful when May slid it between her teeth; she started sucking it immediately.

 

Mommy kissed her temple and gave her another hug. "I love you baby. I'll come get you soon."

 

And then Mommy was leaving, taking Skye by the hand and whispering soothing words to her as they left the room.

 

*.*.*.*.

 

Jemma felt very little as she stood in front of Daddy's desk from across the room, toes digging into the carpet.

 

Daddy looked up from the computer screen and rubbed his eyes; he noticed Jemma just as he was about to go back to work.

 

"Hi, sweetheart," he said.

 

"Are you busy Daddy? I can come back later..." Jemma suggested, even though she really didn't want to leave him--she didn't feel like that would be a very safe decision. Her Little self wasn't very good at making decisions anyway, and she wasn't sure what she would do if he was...

 

Daddy smiled and opened his arms to her, scooting away from the desk so Jemma could sit in his lap. "I'm never too busy for you, little one."

 

Jemma settled against him, dummy bobbing in her mouth as he held her close. She hadn't really been thinking about her diaper until Daddy patted her bottom, she was just so glad that he was holding her.

 

"You need a fresh diaper, kiddo." He said calmly, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.

 

Jemma just whimpered and shook her head. Even though she knew he was right, that somehow seemed like too much to cope with, and she was way too little to try, anyway.

 

"Hmm. I think so, baby. You don't want to get a rash, do you?"

 

That didn't sound like any fun either. She shook her head again.

 

"The we need to get you a fresh diaper, little one. It won't take long."

 

Jemma just closed her eyes and clung to him, resting her head on his shoulder, letting him make all the decisions. She was a little surprised when he picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

 

Daddy was very gentle as he changed her, dusting her with powder, and rubbing cool, soothing cream into her bottom.

 

"I know it's a little embarrassing, but I'd like you to try and tell me or Mommy when you need to be changed--you're starting to get a rash." Daddy was saying as he cleaned his hands with sanitizer after disposing of the wet diaper.

 

Jemma only nodded. She was mostly just happy to be clean and dry again. Her tummy growled, and she realized that she was still hungry.

 

"Daddy? Can I have my bottle?" She wondered.

 

Daddy blinked. "Of course you can. Do you want milk?"

 

Jemma nodded.

 

"Will you be okay here by yourself for a little bit?"

 

Jemma knew nothing bad would happen to her, but the thought of being alone was way too much for her to cope with, and she was shaking her head before she realized it. She sucked her dummy to try and calm herself down. She knew that she should be big and polite and use her words to tell Coulson what was wrong, but she felt too little for that.

 

"Do you want me to carry you?" Daddy asked.

 

Jemma nodded, stretching toward him and wiggling her fingers.

 

Daddy lifted her easily and carried her to the kitchen, where he took of her bottles out of the fridge.

 

Jemma had just latched onto the bottle, settled in Daddy's lap, when May and Skye came back into the room.

 

"I just gave her a bottle, Phil," May said, and she didn't sound upset...more like she was a little exasperated.

 

"'S hun'ry." Jemma offered by way of explanation around the bottle's teat.

 

"I know, little one. But, it's important to eat real food too."

 

Jemma snatched the bottle out of Phil's hands. "Mine!" She snapped, cradling it protectively.

 

"Jemma..." Mommy's voice was gentle, but it carried an edge of warning.

 

Jemma felt tears in her eyes again. She didn't really mean to cry, but it was happening anyway, and she didn't understand why everyone was always trying to take her bottle from her.

 

"Mine!" She repeated. Before she really thought about it, she'd hurled the very thing she was trying to protect across the room to keep it away from May. She stared after it as it tumbled through the air, realizing at once the grave mistake she had made.

 

May reached up and caught the bottle as it sailed by, easy as anything, and tucked it under her arm.

 

"Jemma Elizabeth," Mommy said firmly. "That is quite enough. I know you're upset, but I also know that you are well-aware that it is absolutely not okay to throw things because you're angry." Mommy put the bottle on top of the fridge, where Jemma wouldn't be able to reach it without help.

 

"You've earned yourself two minutes of corner time, young lady," Mommy was saying, and even though Jemma had expected that, she still felt even guiltier upon hearing it. She was _so bad_...

 

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Daddy was asking.

 

Jemma didn't say anything--she was too angry at the loss of her bottle, to stubborn to admit she had been wrong, and she felt too guilty to apologize and ask for forgiveness.

 

"Okay then." Mommy said, and held out a hand. "Come with me. We'll try this again when corner time is up." And then, once they were almost to the corned, she said more quietly: "Do you need to sit on the potty first?"

 

Somehow, that just made Jemma feel worse, that even after she'd been so bad, Mommy was still looking after her.

 

Jemma sniffled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mommy." she said at length.

 

Mommy kissed her forehead. "I know you are, little one. And I hope you understand that I'm not doing this to be mean to you. I think you need some time to cool down, think about what you could do differently in the future, and think about what kinds of foods you like best. We really need to get you eating again, baby girl. I know you need your bottle, and I would never want to take that from you, but it's very important that you eat something other than milk all the time. Okay?"

 

Jemma nodded and pressed her face into Mommy's shirt. She felt Mommy's lips on her temple.

 

"Good girl. I love you," Mommy said, and then Jemma was alone.

 

"I love you too, Mommy." Jemma replied quietly.

 

And then, she put her face in her hands and cried.

 

*.*.*.*.

 

[SKYE]

 

It tore her up inside to see Jemma in such a state, even if she'd brought it on herself.

 

Skye checked to make sure the coast was clear, and then padded across the floor to give Jemma her beloved bunny, Ben.

 

Jemma flinched, startled, but Skye clapped a hand over her mouth before she could yelp in surprise.

 

"Shh!  If Mommy hears you, then I'm gonna get busted too!" She whispered. She felt Jemma's arms go around her and she said something that sounded like 'thank you', but she hadn't taken her paci out, so it was kind of hard to tell.

 

Skye gave Jemma a quick squeeze, then backed off, pressing a finger to her lips in the universal sign for quiet. She slid into the most readily available hiding spot--behind the couch.

 

Agent Skye probably would've picked a better hiding spot, but Little Skye didn't have the same ninja-skills as Agent Skye, or Mommy. She had to stifle a giggle when Mommy walked right past her.

 

Mommy brought Jemma over to the couch after a conversation that Skye couldn't hear, and helped her settle in her lap with her bottle.

 

"You can come out now, Skye," Mommy said, reaching down to tickle Skye's exposed foot.

 

"Mommy!" Skye wriggled, trying to get away from Mommy's nimble fingers, only to realize that there was nowhere for her to go. Reluctantly, she crawled out of her hiding place. "You found me!" She exclaimed, grinning.

 

"Of course I did," Mommy smiled at her. "I wouldn't be a very good mommy if I couldn't find you when you were lost, would I?"

 

Skye curled up on the couch next to Mommy and Jemma. Her eyes were starting to get heavy, which normally meant that it would be naptime soon, but she hoped Mommy would let her stay up a little longer.

 

She looked over and saw Mommy gently tracing Jemma's eyebrows with her thumbs. Skye knew from experience that it felt amazing, but it also made it very difficult to stay awake.

 

"I know two little girls who are very, very sleepy," Mommy pointed out.

 

Skye opened her mouth to protest, but was ambushed by a yawn instead, and then, she figured it probably wouldn't do her any good to argue.

 

After a little while Mommy shifted Jemma onto the couch and motioned to Skye, who crawled into her lap readily. They spent a few minutes cuddling before Mommy spoke up.

 

"Would you like to nurse, baby?" She asked.

  
Skye nodded. It felt like it had been forever since she'd last been able to nurse, but she knew that it really hadn't been that long. She latched on once Mommy had adjusted her clothing, and let the gentle rhythm soothe her to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

[SKYE]

 

Skye looked anxiously toward the door when the doorbell rang; she hadn't known Mommy and Daddy were expecting visitors...

 

Mommy looked over at her and smiled gently. "It's okay baby. It's just Bobbi and Hunter coming to visit."

 

Skye felt herself relax; that wasn't scary at all, even though it made her a little nervous because she'd never been little in front of them before.

 

Jemma stiffened next to her, trembling a little, dummy bobbing furiously in her mouth.

 

Skye could tell she was upset, that maybe she wasn't ready for Bobbi and Hunter to know about her Little side.

 

"It's okay," Skye said. "They won't mind." She continued even though she wasn't sure if it was true or not.

 

Jemma didn't say anything, she just sat there and trembled, whimpering quietly, and that made Skye want to cry too, because she hated to see Jemma so upset.

 

"Mommy," Skye called out quietly, reaching out to grab May's shirt as she headed past them toward the door. "Jemma needs you..."

 

Jemma's face was awash with tears, and she immediately clung to May, burying her face in Melinda's shirt.

 

“What’s wrong, little one?” May asked gently, smoothing Jemma’s hair out of her face.

 

“I’m scared.” Jemma admitted.

 

“What are you scared of?” Mommy asked, her voice gentle and calm.

 

“What if Bobbi and Hunter don’t like me anymore because I’m Little. I’m s’posed to be a field agent and a biochemist. What if they think I’m useless…”

 

“That isn’t going to happen. Bobbi and Hunter love you very much, even if you’re little.”

 

“You can’t know that.” Jemma protested.

 

Skye wasn’t sure what to do. “Should I open the door, Mommy?” she asked. She was a little worried about the fact that she wasn’t wearing any pants, but she was little, and it wasn’t her job to worry about that.

 

“Go ahead, Skye.” Mommy said.

 

Jemma whimpered.

 

Skye walked carefully over to the door, and was just about to open it when Daddy appeared, holding out a pair of sweatpants.

 

“Just a second, baby. I know you’re excited, but I think we should probably put some pants on you, hmm?”

 

Skye nodded and scampered over to him and let him help her into the sweats before returning to the door.

 

“Hi!” She said as she pulled the door open.

  
  


“Well, hello, sweetheart!” Bobbi’s voice was gentle and soft, and Skye let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She pulled Skye into a tight hug and kissed her forehead, taking her Little side completely in stride.

 

Hunter, however was considerably less subtle:

 

“Well, this certainly explains a lot.”

 

Skye just stuck her tongue out at him. She knew it wasn’t very nice, but Mommy always said that she should treat others how she would like them to treat her, and after all, fair was fair.

 

Hunter just grinned. He reached out and ruffled her hair.

 

Normally, she’d be upset, but she knew Mommy would help her with her hair after bath time later that night, so maybe it was okay...She smiled and moved out of his way so he could come inside.

 

Bobbi had Jemma in her lap now, and Skye thought that Jemma must really trust Bobbi, since she’d been so worried about them visiting. She wondered where Mommy had gone; she hoped Mommy wouldn’t be gone long...

 

“Are you doing okay today, munchkin?” Bobbi was asking.

 

Jemma nodded slowly and leaned against Bobbi. “Uh-huh,” she said around her dummy, but Bobbi didn’t seem to have any trouble understanding her.

 

Jemma didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk; she just cuddled with Bobbi and sucked her paci while the older agent rocked her. She seemed a little squirmy, and Skye thought she probably had to pee, but she didn’t say anything.

 

“Did you eat today, little one?” Bobbi continued.

 

Jemma rolled her eyes. “Yes.” She sounded supremely irritated, but Skye was glad Bobbi was looking out for her.

 

Skye shook her head slightly when Bobbi looked at her over Jemma’s head. She knew for a fact that Jemma hadn’t because they hadn’t had breakfast yet. Even though Jemma would be mad at her, Skye knew that she had to look out for Jemma too.

 

“Are you sure? It’s very naughty to lie, Jemma.” Bobbi warned.

 

“She knows that.” Mommy said when she came back into the room holding Jemma’s bottle. She knelt down next to Bobbi and Jemma. “Don’t you, little one?”

 

Jemma just whined--rather testily--in response. She looked torn, and Skye knew that was because she was hungry, but didn’t want to nurse her bottle in front of Bobbi.

 

She’d stopped squirming, so Skye guessed Jemma was wet, and Bobbi had to know that, too, since Jemma was in her lap.

 

Skye took a breath, and went over to Mommy. “Can I have my bottle?” She asked.

 

Mommy pulled her into her lap and kissed her forehead. “Of course you can, baby.” She made to stand up, but Skye shook her head and glanced over at Bobbi. Mommy nodded and slid the bottle’s teat between Skye’s lips; Skye started sucking on it right away.

 

Just as she’d started to relax, the bottle was jerked forcefully from her mouth. She made an embarrassing mewling noise then, almost like a kitten.

 

“That’s mine!” Jemma growled, cradling the bottle possessively.

 

Much to Skye’s surprise, it was Bobbi, not Mommy who stepped in.

 

She delivered a firm swat to Jemma’s bottom, though Skye doubted that it hurt at all; Jemma probably barely felt it because of her diaper.

 

Bobbi didn’t comment on Jemma’s padded bottom, but she was quick to scold her for her earlier behavior.

 

“Jemma! I’m very disappointed in your behavior. It’s not nice to take things from other people, no matter how badly you want them.” Bobbi stood up and led Jemma over to the nearest corner.

 

“I want you to stand here for one minute and think about why what you did was wrong, and what you can do differently from now on.”

 

Jemma was crying softly but she didn’t argue.

 

Mommy nodded at Bobbi.

 

Skye was surprised at how quickly Bobbi had not only accepted their little arrangement, but had found a niche that she fit into within it.

 

Skye allowed herself to smile a little; she’d always wanted a big sister....

 

Bobbi came over and gave the bottle back to Skye. “I think this is yours, cutie.” she kissed her cheek.

 

Skye was a little embarrassed, but she smiled anyway. She curled up in Mommy’s lap again and latched onto the bottle. She could hear Bobbi and Jemma talking quietly in the background, but she didn’t pay them any attention, since Jemma was in trouble, and she knew it wasn’t nice to be nosey.

 

“I think Jemma has something she’d like to say to you, Skye.” Bobbi said quietly.

 

Skye looked over at Jemma, who seemed humble and contrite, even if she was hesitant to make eye contact with Skye.

 

“I’m sorry I was mean to you, Skye. I shouldn’t have taked your bottle.” Jemma said.

 

Skye nodded. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

 

Jemma hugged her then, warm and tight, before sniffling and turning to look at Bobbi.

 

“See? All better. Fresh start.” Bobbi said, and kissed Jemma’s temple. “Are you still hungry?”

 

Jemma nodded.

 

Bobbi held out a hand for Jemma to take. “Okay. Let’s go see what’s in the kitchen.”

 

*.*.*.*.

 

[LEO]

 

“This is your fault.” Leo muttered, glaring at Hunter. “I told you we shouldn’t have played football in the house, but you didn’t listen. And now, Coulson’s favorite lamp is broken.”

 

Hunter shrugged. “It was ugly anyway. We did him a favor.”

 

“But it was his favorite.” Leo protested. “Even if it was ugly. You do realize that he’s going to kill us, right?” The desire to chew on the sleeves of his jumper was almost overwhelming, but he resisted because he didn’t want to look babyish in front of Hunter.

 

“So? We lay low for a while. We’ll go get ice cream, maybe catch a movie, and then we’ll come back when the heat dies down; with an identical replacement lamp.” Hunter held up his phone, displaying an exact copy of the lamp they’d destroyed at a nearby store.

 

“Good plan. But, um, how are we gonna get past May? She’s a human lie detector.” Leo wondered.

 

Lance nudged him toward the door. “Leave that to me. Just smile and nod. Act natural. You can do that right?”

 

Leo nodded.

 

“Good man.” Lance clapped him on the shoulder. “Now, let’s get moving.”

 

To Leo’s surprise, they made it all the way to the front door before May stopped them.

 

“Where are you headed?” She wondered, hands on her hips.

 

Leo barely managed to suppress a flinch at her sudden appearance.

 

“We’re going out for ice-cream and a movie. Want to join?” Lance wondered.

 

“Really?” May didn’t sound very convinced. She pinned Leo with a stare--he swore she was looking straight at his soul. He shivered.

 

“Yep.”

 

May kept staring. “Have fun.” she said.

 

“Will do,” Hunter replied.

 

“Leo?” May said sternly.

 

Leo almost cringed. “Yes?”

 

May smiled then, and his heart decided it was safe to stop hiding in his throat. “Tie your shoe, kiddo.”  She pulled him into a hug, then, and he felt himself relax.

 

He bent to tie his shoe when she let him go, making sure to double-knot, so he wouldn’t have to do it again later.

 

He followed Hunter out then and let out a sigh of relief when the door clicked shut behind them.

 

“Made it.” He breathed.

 

Lance nudged his arm. “Stick with me, kid. I’ll teach you a few things.”

 

*.*.*.*.

 

[MELINDA[

 

“You’re good with them,” Melinda told Bobbi.

 

Trust wasn’t something that came easily to any of the kids, and the fact that Bobbi had managed to get both Skye and Jemma to feel comfortable around her in so short a time was impressive.

 

Especially considering the fact that Bobbi had disciplined Jemma within moments of being introduced to her little side.

 

Melinda had been reluctant to spank any of the kids, especially Skye, because she’d been afraid that their Little sides wouldn’t be able to distinguish the difference between discipline and abuse.

 

However, Jemma hadn’t reacted adversely when Bobbi had swatted her, and Skye hadn’t seemed upset about it either. Melinda wasn’t eager to discipline the children by any stretch of the imagination, and she’d have preferred to exhaust all other avenues of correction before bringing spanking into the picture, unless the offense was particularly grievous (or, repeated despite numerous warnings).

 

Still, it was nice to know it was an option.

  
  


“I’m sorry about earlier.” Bobbi said timidly. “I shouldn’t have swatted Jemma without talking to you about it first. I just kind of reacted.”

 

“It’s alright. You didn’t do anything wrong. I would have preferred that you came to me about it first, but, honestly, I think she needed it. You weren’t excessive about it, and I know it didn’t actually hurt her. Sometimes little ones need a firmer hand.”

 

Bobbi nodded. “Thanks. I was worried I’d overstepped...Does Jemma wear diapers all the time?”

 

Melinda nodded. “Most of the time. Skye does wear them all the time, and I think Jemma wouldn’t mind being in diapers full-time either, but she’s still adjusting.”

 

Bobbi nods. “That’s understandable. If you need Hunter and I to babysit so you and Coulson can have some time to yourselves, don’t hesitate to ask.”

 

“Coulson and I…” Melinda began, and then it occurred to her that she hadn’t removed her wedding ring. It felt so natural that she’d honestly forgotten she was wearing it. She smiled.

 

“That’d be nice. Thank you.”

 

“Hunter’s really good with kids.” Bobbi volunteered. “I know it might not seem that way, but he’s got a real gift with the little ones.”

 

“I believe it. He took Leo out for ice-cream and a movie. And, to replace that hideous lamp next to the couch.”

 

“How did it break?” Bobbi wondered.

 

“He and Hunter were playing soccer in the house. Leo thinks I don’t know about it. I’m curious to see if he comes clean about it--he doesn’t really misbehave.”

 

“I’m sure he will.” Bobbi said. “He’s a good kid.” she smiled. “He’s stubborn as all get-out when he wants to be, though.”

 

“I blame Phil for that.” Melinda said without venom, she knew an equal amount of blame lay on her shoulders.

 

Bobbi chuckled. “So they’re yours when they’re good, and Phil’s kids when they misbehave?”

 

“Something like that. Wouldn’t change it for the world, though.”

Melinda smiled.

 

Across from her, Bobbi raised an eyebrow as the sound of feet padding across the floor reached Melinda’s ears.

 

The clink of the ceramic cookie jar was noisy, as it was intended to be to keep the kids from sneaking sweets when Melinda wasn’t around. She turned around at the noise.

 

Skye froze, literally caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She broke into a radiant, overly-sweet grin. “I love you, Mommy,” she said.

 

“I love you too, baby...Did you ask if you could have a cookie?”

 

“Nooo…” Skye squirmed.

 

“Then what do you say?”

 

“Please,” Skye replied.

 

“‘Please’, what?”

 

“Cookie!” Skye smiled again.

 

Melinda smiled. The one-word answers were a new development, but it was certainly adorable, as long as Skye didn’t make a habit of trying to sneak sweets.

 

“You can have one cookie, Skye. But, next time, ask first.”

 

“I will. Thank you, Mommy.” Skye said around a mouthful of cookie. She turned to leave, and Melinda saw the wet spots on her bottom.

 

“Not so fast, munchkin,” Bobbi spoke up, standing to catch up with Skye. “We need to go change your butt.”

 

If Skye was uncomfortable with Bobbi changing her, she didn’t say anything about it. “Aw, but, _Sesamee Street_ is on…”

 

“We have a DVR, Skye, it can wait. You don’t want to get a rash, do you?”

 

Skye pouted. “No. But getting changed is boring.”

 

Bobbi kissed Skye’s cheek. “Oh, I think you’ll live. Come on, it’ll only take a minute.”

 

“Alright,”  Skye said grudgingly, but she took Bobbi’s hand without further

protest.

 

“Good girl,” Melinda said, and she followed them out to go check on Jemma.

  
  



	17. Chapter 17

 

[JEMMA]

Jemma’s diaper squished underneath her, and even though she was still really sleepy, she was too wet to be comfortable.

“What’s wrong?” Skye sat up next to her, rubbing her eyes.

“Nothing.” Jemma murmured and shifted so she could rest her head on Skye’s thigh. “I’m just really wet. And, I’m still tired. How do you ignore it?”

Skye shrugged. “I can’t really _ignore_ it...you just kind of get used to it after a while. But then you get a rash.”

Jemma nodded.

“Pooping is worse though. You can’t ignore that at all.” Skye volunteered, wrinkling her nose.

Jemma felt uncomfortable at the direction their conversation had taken, but, privately, she’d been curious about it for some time. However, she was hesitant to ask Skye about it, because she didn’t want to embarrass her.

“Oh.” She said. Her cheeks felt warm, and she wondered if Skye noticed that she was blushing.

“It’s not really so terrible, though. The first time it happened, I was so scared that Mommy would want to get rid of me, but she said it was okay.” Skye confessed. “I don’t like to use the potty when I’m little, but I don’t want to be too much work…”

Jemma hummed. That was easy to understand; there were times when she used her diaper just because it was easier. And, if she was being honest, it was nice not to be responsible for staying dry, because that was a big responsibility, and it seemed like too much almost all the time.

“How do you do it?” Jemma asked finally. “How is it so easy for you to be Little?”

Skye sucked her thumb for a bit before responding. “Well...After I got out of the system, I was on my own for a long time. It was tough, but I could be Little whenever I wanted, and I didn’t have to worry about getting caught, or about what other people would think if they knew.”

“Hmm,”

“When Daddy offered me a place on the team, I was so happy to have a place to belong, that I never thought about the impact it would have on me being Little. I had to be a lot more careful; but I ended up getting caught anyway. And, well, you know the rest.”

“But...it seems so easy for you.” Jemma reiterated.

“It _is_.” Skye insisted. “You just have to try not to think so much. Little Jemma might not be so good at making decisions, but that’s okay--that’s what Mommy and Daddy and Bobbi, and sometimes Hunter are for. They help.”

Jemma nodded. It _did_ seem rather simple when Skye put it that way…

Skye stiffened next to her and patted the sheets around her. “Uh-oh…”

Jemma realized that she was wetting again, and her diaper was leaking. She was so _gross_...

She burst into tears.

“Oh, no, Jemma please don’t cry.” Skye pleaded, and Jemma felt guilty, because Skye sounded close to tears too.

Jemma couldn’t help the tears, even though she didn’t mean to cry so much. She was such a _baby..._

“Are you guys okay?” Bobbi’s voice drifted in from the doorway.

“Jemma’s wet,” Skye answered, and Jemma was glad, because she didn’t feel big enough to admit that by herself. “I think she leaked a little.” She reached over to rub Jemma’s back, like she knew how embarrassed Jemma was about the last bit, even though was she definitely too little to try changing herself...

“What about you, cutie? Do you need dry pants too?”

Skye’s diaper crinkled as she wriggled--Jemma knew she was dry from the sound, and she wondered if Bobbi would be upset with her for being so needy...

“Nope. I’m dry.” Skye answered. “Where’s Mommy?”

“She went to the grocery store with Coulson. They should be back in a little while.”

Jemma looked up in time to see Bobbi setting the changing supplies to one side on the bed.

“Good job, honey.” Bobbi praised after checking Skye’s diaper. “Why don’t you go play? We’ll be out to join you in a minute.”

“Okay,” Bobbi planted a kiss on Skye’s forehead, and gave her a pat to the bottom to send her on her way.

“Okay, munchkin, let’s change your butt.” Bobbi cooed, reaching down to lift Jemma out of the wet patch on the sheets. “Poor baby, you’re soaked.” she said. “You must feel pretty yucky, huh?”

Jemma nodded.

“Do you want a bath before we change your bottom?” Bobbi’s voice was gentle and tender, and Jemma tried to follow Skye’s advice about not thinking too much.

She wrapped her arms around Bobbi’s neck. “Yes, please.”

“Such good manners, little one.” Bobbi praised, and Jemma felt warm inside. Bobbi carried her across the hallway and set her down in the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind them before untaping Jemma’s soaked diaper.

“Yucky, yucky,”  Bobbi commented, kissing Jemma’s temple before disposing of the wet garment and washing her hands. She lifted Jemma onto the closed lid of the toilet before starting to run her bath.

“I’m sorry.” Jemma said quietly.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for munchkin. It’s not your job to worry about staying dry.” Bobbi told her.

“But, you tolded Skye ‘good job’ for staying dry…” Jemma reasoned. Didn’t that mean she hadn’t done well?

“I did. But, that doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. Staying dry is a big girl responsibility, and I bet you don’t feel very big right now, do you?”

Jemma hardly ever felt big, if she was being honest. She shook her head.

“Okay, then. If you’re not a big girl, then you don’t have to worry about it. It’d be pretty silly to waste all that good, playtime energy on worrying, wouldn’t it?”

Jemma nodded. That did seem pretty silly…

“Good girl. So, we’re not gonna worry about it anymore, right?”

“Right.” Somehow, that made things easier; Jemma felt the knot of anxiety that rested in the pit of her stomach almost constantly these days, loosen a little.

“I’m too much work.” Jemma protested.

“You’re not.” Bobbi countered. “I promise. I like taking care of you, little one.”

“But, what if I’m bad? What if I have a tantrum or an icky diaper, or run away, or yell at you?”

“I’ll tell you now that I’ll be very upset and worried for you if you run away, but the other things, I don’t mind. That’s what little ones do.” Bobbi’s response was calm and safe and gentle. “Would you like bubbles?”

Jemma nodded and climbed down off the toilet to sit in Bobbi’s lap. She wasn’t wearing anything on her bottom half, but that didn’t matter--she just wanted Bobbi to hold her.

She felt Bobbi’s fingers combing through her hair, nails gentle on her scalp. It was very soothing.

Bobbi’s affection was different from May, or Coulson.

Mommy and Daddy were warm, tender, and solid. They were something she could cling to when she needed to, and they always looked out for her best interests.

Bobbi did those things too, but she was a little more indulgent of Jemma’s Little side. She was kind and gentle, and she kind of reminded Jemma of syrup in her display of affection--once she touched you, it just got everywhere.

Even her gentle teasing when it was time for a diaper change, or when Jemma or Skye made a mess at mealtimes, made things easier.

“Do you want to sit on the potty while we wait for the bath to fill up?” Bobbi was asking.

Jemma shook her head. That would be the grown-up, responsible thing to do, but she was very little. And, if she was being honest, Little Jemma didn’t like using the potty very much.

She wondered how it would feel to be like Skye and just use her diaper, even though she knew Skye didn’t always mean to.

“Are you sure, honey? Maybe we should try anyway...What do you think?”

Jemma shook her head again. “Uh-uh.”

Bobbi gave her a gentle squeeze and kissed her cheek. “Okay, little one. Let me know if you change your mind?”

The tub was mostly full by now, and bibbi helped Jemma out of her shirt and lifted her into the bath after testing the water.

“Do you need any help washing?”

Jemma shrugged. Mommy sometimes helped her wash, so she guessed it was the same. She nodded.

Bobbi was gentle with her when she scrubbed, although there was also a fair bit of tickling, too.

“Alright, kiddo, time to get out before you turn into a raisin.”

“Om-nom-nom!” Jemma replied, giggling. Skye was right, she realized: it _was_ much easier when she just relaxed and let herself be Little.

Bobbi smiled. “They are pretty yummy, aren’t they?” She wrapped Jemma in a warm, fluffy towel, and carried her back to her bedroom, where she dressed her in a diaper and a t-shirt.

“I think we’ll skip the pants for now,” Bobbi said. “That way I can change you before we have any more leaks.”

Jemma nodded. “‘Kay.” she was glad Bobbi was making all the decisions. “Up?” She asked, reaching for the older woman.

Bobbi smiled and lifted Jemma onto her hip. “You’re awfully clingy today, cutie-pie.” she said. “I don’t mind though. I like having a snuggle-buddy.”

Jemma grinned and rested her head against Bobbi’s shoulder.

Bobbi carried her to the sitting room and put her down on the floor next to Skye.

“Hi, munchkin,” she said. “Do you mind if we sit with you?”

“Okay,” Skye answered without looking up from her coloring. Her diaper was very obviously wet, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Will you be alright by yourself for a little bit?”  Bobbi asked Jemma. “I think somebody needs a change.”

Jemma nodded and sprawled out on the floor next to the coloring book, flipping to a clean page while Bobbi took Skye to get changed.

She stared at the page for a moment before picking up an orange crayon with no paper around it, nibbling absently on it while she tried to decide what colors would look best.

It was kind of funny that the crayon was naked, she thought. It wasn’t very tasty though, and she wished that she’d remembered to ask Bobbi for her pacifier.

She’d just begun coloring in the trees when Bobbi came back with Skye.

“Jemma...what are you eating?” Bobbi wondered.

Jemma froze. _Oh, no._ This was a perfect example of the fact that Little Jemma was terrible at making decisions.

“Noffing,” Jemma replied, realizing belatedly that she probably should have waited until she was done chewing before she answered.

“It’s very naughty to lie, Jemma.” Bobbi warned. “Tell me the truth.”

Jemma swallowed the bits of crayon in her mouth. “Nothing, Beebee.”

Bobbi sighed and lifted Jemma into her arms. “Last chance, little one. I will be very upset if you lie to me.”

Jemma took a deep breath. She didn’t want Bobbi to be mad at her, but she couldn’t see how telling the truth would make things better.

Skye whispered something in Bobbi’s ear, and Jemma realized that Skye was much better at whispering than she was.

“I didn’t eat anything,” Jemma said firmly, hoping Bobbi would believe her.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Jemma.” Bobbi said sadly, and put Jemma down on the floor. She delivered a firm swat to Jemma’s bottom and then took her gently by the shoulders.

It didn’t hurt at all, but Jemma burst into tears anyway.

“Jemma, look at me, baby.” Bobbi said softly. “Did you eat a crayon?” her voice was gentle and calm.

Jemma nodded and looked away. “I sorry,”

“It’s okay, honey. We’re all done. No more spankings, okay? Do you know why I swatted you just now?”

“Because I’m bad,” Jemma replied, because it felt true.

“No, baby. You’re not bad, but you did do something very naughty. Do you know what it was?”

Jemma tried to talk, but the words got stuck in her throat.

“You lied to me, Jemma.” Bobbi supplied gently. “It’s very important to always tell the truth, otherwise people won’t trust you.”

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” Jemma said.

“That makes me very happy, munchkin. I really don’t like having to punish you. But, I think we still need to have a talk,”

Jemma swallowed hard. “O-okay.”

“What you did today, was very dangerous, little one.” Bobbi’s voice was firm, but still gentle. “You could have choked, or made yourself sick. Crayons are for drawing, not eating.”

“Am I in trouble?” Jemma asked, and she felt herself wetting her diaper a little because she was so nervous.

Bobbi shook her head. “No, sweetheart. I think we need to talk to your Mommy about this, so we can figure out a safe solution, but you’re not in trouble. In the meantime, I don’t think you should color by yourself, okay?”

Jemma nodded.

Bobbi pulled Jemma close and rubbed her back. “Are you okay?”

Jemma nodded. “I’m hungry.” she said. Her tummy was also starting to hurt a little, and she thought that was probably because she had to go potty, but she didn’t say anything about that.

“Okay. I think we can fix that. Skye, keep an eye on Jemma please. Make sure she doesn’t eat any more crayons.”

Jemma was a little embarrassed that Bobbi was putting Skye in charge of her, but she guessed it made sense.

She sat down next to Skye and leaned against her. “Can we get my dummy?” she asked.

Skye nodded and took her hand. “Uh-huh. Come on, we can go together.”

 **  
** Jemma just held on, and let Skye lead the way.


	18. Chapter 18

[SKYE]

 

“The carnival’s in town this week,” Daddy was saying. “Do you want to go?”

 

Skye assumed he was asking everyone, since they were all just sort of lounging around in the living room.

 

She nodded emphatically. “I never goed at a carnival before.” she said.

 

“You’ve never been to a carnival before?” Daddy was asking. 

 

“Nope,” Fitz piped up without taking his eyes off the game he was playing.

 

“I’ve been,” Jemma said, from her seat on the floor next to Skye. “It was scary, though. There were lots of people, and I got lost.”

 

“We won’t let you get lost,” Mommy said, and kissed Jemma’s forehead.

 

Bobbi and Hunter had been called back to base unexpectedly yesterday, and Skye thought Jemma seemed even littler and more fragile than normal.

 

Skye reached out to pat Jemma’s arm, but Jemma shifted away from her. She was sad that Jemma didn’t want cuddles, but she understood that sometimes, being Little was overwhelming on its own, and Jemma hadn’t expected Bobbi and Hunter to leave.

 

They’d said that they would only be gone for a few hours, but Jemma could only see that they were  _ leaving _ , even though they’d  _ promised  _ never to abandon her.

 

Skye understood that pain, even if they weren’t gone forever. She sighed and sucked her thumb.

 

“What’s this I hear about a carnival?” Hunter stepped into the room, with Bobbi close behind him.

 

Jemma scrambled up and tore across the room to hug Bobbi.

 

“You’re back!” Jemma exclaimed.

 

“Of course I’m back, munchkin. I’d never leave you; you know that.” Bobbi returned Jemma’s hug and kissed the side of her head.

 

“Oh, great. It’s  _ you _ ,” Skye teased, grinning at Lance.

 

Lance tossed her an enormous lollipop. “Good to see you too,”

 

Skye made to open the treat immediately but May pried it away from her.

 

“Not until after dinner.” she said.

 

Skye groaned, but didn’t argue. 

 

“Speaking of,” Bobbi began, and Skye could tell from her voice that something serious was going on. 

 

Daddy’s phone chimed. He looked down at it, frowning. “Sorry kids, but it looks like the carnival will have to wait. They need us back at base.”

 

“Aww,” Skye muttered. Even though she’d been looking forward to the carnival, she also knew that she had a job to do.

 

“I know it’s disappointing, sweetheart, but we’ll have to plan on going another time.” Daddy--Director Coulson--said. Skye sighed. It felt so natural now, to think of May and Coulson as ‘Mommy’ and ‘Daddy’ but she knew she couldn’t afford to keep doing it if she planned on going back into the field.

 

Not if she wanted to avoid answering some extremely awkward questions and outing herself as a Little to the staff at the base.

 

Her stomach grumbled. She knew she should try to make it to the potty--being potty-trained was an essential life skill, not just an important part of being a field agent--but, the coming days were going to be filled with potty-training and learning how to be big again while Coulson and May organized whatever mission they needed to go on.

 

So, Skye decided to use her diaper instead, since there wouldn’t be many more opportunities for that.

 

The warm, squishy feeling in her diaper wasn’t even icky anymore; she’d stopped using the toilet altogether when they’d arrived at this house. It did smell bad though, but Skye pretended not to notice--it wasn’t her job to worry about her diaper right now.

 

“What happened?” Jemma wondered. She looked scared.

 

“Apparently, HYDRA’s started research on some new program called  _ Vitae _ . It’s a little like the  _ Centipede _ program because it’s meant to prolong life. But, other than that, we don’t know very much.” Lance explained.

 

“Then what do they need us for?” May responded.

 

“Ward’s in charge of it.” Bobbi said gravely.

 

May just nodded.

 

“We’ll need to get started as soon as possible then. Ward’s dangerous enough without something in the works that would keep him alive any longer than he rightfully should be.”

 

“Too late,” May growled. Her nose twitched, and her expression softened. She reached down to check Skye’s diaper. “Come on, baby. Let’s go get you cleaned up; it’s just about bath time anyway.”

 

Skye followed after May obediently, even though it was hard to walk with her diaper so full.

 

“I want to be assigned to the mission.” She said, once they were alone.

 

May smiled. “You know, it’s very hard to take you seriously right now.”

 

Skye felt her face heat up. Maybe she should have waited to bring this up until after her diaper change…

 

“I can take Ward. You trained me. You know I’m right.” she continued.

 

“We’ll talk about it later. You’ve been out of fieldwork for a while, since before we went on vacation. We need to brush up on your training when we get back to base. Once that’s taken care of, we can go from there.”

 

Skye huffed. May hadn’t outright said  _ no _ , but that wasn’t exactly the answer she’d been hoping for. “Okay.”

 

May pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “I’m glad you want to help, Skye, but I don’t want you to worry about that right now. Right now, just try to relax and enjoy being Little for a bit longer. It might be a while before you have another chance.” May guided Skye down onto the bed. 

 

Skye made a face at the squish in her diaper and May chuckled.

 

Skye stared up at the stars on her ceiling as May began changing her, moving when she was prompted.

 

Even though she knew tomorrow would be the first of a series of long, stressful days, today was alright.

 

A bath, dinner, and maybe a movie before bedtime.

 

Skye imagined herself snuggled up on the couch between Mommy and Daddy in just a t-shirt and diaper, since it was warm enough to wear that to bed, with her bottle and blanket, surrounded by the rest of her family that she loved.

 

_ Yeah, _ she thought.  _ That sounds pretty good to me. _

 

“All clean baby.” May said, helping Skye to sit up. “Do you want bubbles in your bath tonight?”

 

Skye nodded and leaned forward to hug May, listening to her Mommy’s heartbeat. It was the same as always: strong, steady, and safe.

 

“I love you, Mommy.” she said. “All the way to the moon and back.”

 

May smiled. “I love you too, sweetheart.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap everyone! Thank you all so much for reading, leaving kudos, and especially for commenting. As you can probably guess, this leads directly into "The Neverland Paradox", you might want to read that next if you haven't already!
> 
> Feel free to let me know if there's something you want to see in my work, either in the comments, or just send me an email; I'm always open to suggestions.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> ~Script

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone!


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